TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine should be ready for commissioning by the Navy in late August or early September, with work on a second submarine starting by the end of the year, reports said Wednesday.
The Narwhal had returned to a pier in Kaohsiung to prepare for trials during the night, the Liberty Times reported. According to military sources, the submarine will complete testing and certification in late August.
The handover from shipbuilder CSBC Corporation Taiwan to the Navy was likely to take place in late August or early September. The original date had been set for last November, but the various phases of testing took longer than expected.
Once the 256th Submarine Squadron takes delivery of the Narwhal, the Ministry of National Defense will request that the Legislative Yuan unfreeze the budget for a second submarine, allowing work to start before the end of 2026, per the Liberty Times.
The government plan was to build seven submarines for a budget of NT$284.08 billion (US$8.82 billion) stretching over 15 years from 2025 to 2039. The price tag also covered MK-48 torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles.
