TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Monday expressed doubt about meeting the November delivery deadline for the domestically built Narwhal submarine.

Speaking before a closed-door hearing of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Koo said the submarine is still in the pre-sea acceptance test stage for equipment testing and fine-tuning, CNA reported. “I am confident that the submarine will ultimately be completed,” he said, noting that the process requires time. However, he added that “meeting the November delivery date will be very challenging.”

During the hearing, the Ministry of National Defense presented a progress report on the domestic submarine project and answered questions from lawmakers. The session addressed the status of tests and issues related to equipment, staffing, quality management, and security.

The Navy said that the main engine, power management system, and integrated platform management system still require calibration, per CNA. Once these are completed, the submarine will be ready for the next phase of testing.

After completing harbor acceptance tests in Kaohsiung Port, the Narwhal headed out to sea for the first time in June, nearly two months later than initially planned.

Once the Narwhal prototype is delivered, the Navy plans to order seven more submarines from CSBC for NT$284 billion (about US$9.26 billion).