HAT exercises for domestic sub nearly complete: Navy chief of staff

Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) Taiwan's Navy chief of staff on Monday said the ongoing harbor acceptance test (HAT) for the Narwhal, an indigenous defense submarine (IDS) prototype, is nearly complete and the vessel is expected to be delivered to the Navy before the end of 2025 as scheduled.

Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) told a legislative session that the HAT for the IDS prototype is 83-85 percent complete. The following sea acceptance test (SAT) is expected to begin in April 2025 and conclude by October before meeting the deliverance deadline in November next year, Chiu said.

This means that the process of testing the Narwhal is on time and on schedule, he told lawmakers.

Chiu made the remarks during a legislative session where he and Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) fielded questions on the latest developments in the IDS project.

The Narwhal, Taiwan's first domestically-built submarine prototype, was unveiled in Kaohsiung in September last year at a ceremony presided over by then-President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The prototype began HAT in October 2023 and has been undertaking the final stage of the HAT since Feb. 27.

After HAT exercises are completed, SAT will be scheduled.

The IDS project is part of a proposal by Taiwan's military to build seven submarines from 2025 to 2038 at an estimated cost of NT$284 billion (US$8.88 billion) which was approved by the Cabinet on Aug. 30. The budget proposal still needs to clear the Legislative Yuan.