A prototype of Taiwan’s first locally built submarine is set to begin testing in September, marking a milestone in the nation’s Indigenous Defense Submarine program, CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台船) chairman Cheng Wen-lon (鄭文隆) said yesterday.
The construction of the prototype has continued around the clock after overcoming a series of difficulties thanks to the cooperation of the Naval Shipbuilding Development Center, the navy’s 256th Submarine Squadron and a CSBC task force, Cheng said.
The government has allocated a NT$49.36 billion (US$1.61 billion) budget over seven years (2019 to 2025) to build a prototype, hoping to launch an indigenous submarine building program that would make Taiwan less dependent on other nations to procure the vessels.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
More than 40 percent of the submarine, including its airtight doors, water conversion system, hydraulic system and silent air-conditioning system, is being manufactured locally, a source familiar with the program said.
Currently, six hull sections have been completed, with only the sail cover section left to be completed, the source said, adding that the ultimate goal is for a submarine cluster to take root in Taiwan so more submarines can be built.
Some “red zone” technologies beyond Taiwan’s submarine design and building capability, such as its diesel engine, torpedo tubes and other combat equipment, have been procured from overseas, the source said.
The Ministry of National Defense has divided the hardware and technologies Taiwan needs for its submarines into red, yellow and green categories, with “red” parts needing to be imported, “yellow” parts that might possibly be made locally and “green” parts that can easily be made in Taiwan.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS