TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, the Narwhal, set out for the Taiwan Strait from Kaohsiung on Thursday morning for its third diving test.

While the project was running several months behind schedule, there were signs shipbuilder CSBC Corporation Taiwan was stepping up the tempo, Liberty Times reported. The submarine was likely to try diving to a depth of 150 meters on Friday.

Deep-diving tests would take the Narwhal to depths of more than 200 meters later on, with the handover to the Navy now expected in June, compared with the original date of last November.

Thursday’s test saw the submarine sail out of Kaohsiung Port around 8 a.m., instead of 11 a.m. during previous tests. Military enthusiasts had been informed of the earlier time by CSBC and were standing by on shore with banners and flags to encourage the submarine crew.

Even after the diving tests, the Narwhal will still face checks on numerous issues, including the firing of torpedoes, sonar capabilities, underwater noise and combat integration.