DEFENSE/First domestically manufactured submarine prepares for final tests

Taipei, May 14 (CNA) A prototype of Taiwan's first domestically manufactured submarine is set to undergo final tests in September, Cheng Wen-lon (鄭文隆), chairman of local shipbuilder CSBC Corp., Taiwan, told CNA in a recent interview.

"We have been able to build 85 components locally so far," Cheng said, after a source familiar with the program revealed in January that more than 40 percent of the submarine's main body is being manufactured in Taiwan.

This includes airtight doors, the water conversion system, hydraulic system and the silent air conditioning system, the source said.

As an example of how difficult it is to build a modern submarine, Cheng cited the need for silent toilets.

As Taiwan lacks experience in building submarines, it has had to procure 107 core technologies to build what is known as the "red zone" of the vessel, from overseas and manufacture the rest itself, he said.

Due to the high degree of silence required onboard submarines, Cheng's team initially planned to import toilets at a cost of NT$670,000 (US$21,800) each.

However, the price tag drew a public backlash and the 990-member team in charge of building the submarine instead turned to local companies to manufacture the toilets for NT$150,000 each, he said.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has divided the hardware and technology needed to build a submarine into red, yellow and green categories, with "red" parts needing to be imported, "yellow" parts that can potentially be made locally, and "green" parts that can be more readily made in Taiwan.

Some "red zone" technologies beyond Taiwan's submarine design and building capability such as diesel engines, torpedo tubes and other combat equipment, have been procured from overseas, the source said.

According to Cheng, the construction of the prototype has continued around the clock since work started in 2020. Other problems were overcome with the cooperation of the Naval Shipbuilding Development Center, the Navy's 256th submarine squadron, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology and a CSBC task force.

"We worked as partners rather than buyers and sellers," he said.

After CSBC completes shipyard testing of the submarine in September, Cheng said, the company will carry out further harbor and sea operations testing before delivering the submarine to the Navy.

Taiwan has allocated a NT$49.36 billion budget over seven years (from 2019 to 2025) to build the prototype, with a plan to launch an indigenous submarine building program that will make it less dependent on other countries.

It is also hoped that such efforts will help Taiwan develop a national defense industry and in the future even enable the country to become a key submarine exporter, he said.

Although it has previously been reported that Taiwan is planning to allocate a NT$300 billion budget to build an 8-submarine fleet under the Indigenous Defense Submarine program, this has not been publicly confirmed by the military, with the MND saying such a plan requires further evaluation.

(by Matt Yu, Lai Yen-hsi and Lee Hsin-Yin) Enditem/AW