All 46 MK-48Mod6 AT heavyweight torpedoes Taiwan purchased from the US are to be delivered in 2025, a source in the military said yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source said the shipment was originally to be delivered by 2028, but the Ministry of National Defense, after several rounds of discussions with the US, arranged the delivery for the first half of 2025, the source said.
However, the source said that Washington recently told Taiwan that part of the order would be shipped in the second half of that year.
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The ministry thanked the US for acknowledging Taiwan’s needs in the current cross-strait situation.
The arms package was first discussed in 2017. At the time, the US government was willing to sell Taiwan 46 torpedoes, 36 of which would be for combat use and 10 would be for training.
The order was supposed to total US$250 million.
However, the navy held several rounds of talks with the US and modified its order, reducing the numbers to 24 combat torpedoes and four training torpedoes totaling NT$5.46 billion (US$178.19 million), and asking for delivery by 2028.
Another arms package ordered on May 20, 2020, included 18 torpedoes of the same specification, bringing the total of torpedoes purchased back to 46, the military said.
The navy’s two Jianlong-class submarines and the upcoming Indigenous Defense Submarine prototype would be equipped with them, it said.
The new type of submarine would be capable of carrying 18 torpedoes, and should it pass trials and enter mass production, the navy would order seven more of the vessles, the military said, adding that it would buy more torpedoes from the US to outfit them.
The military said the MK-48Mod6 AT heavyweight torpedoes have a better range, speed and guidance system than the currently used German-made SUT 264 heavyweight wire-guided torpedoes.
The military said the US-made torpedoes are used by the US Navy, ensuring continued efficacy, ready supply and continued updates and upgrades.
The military said the new torpedoes have a maximum speed of 55 knots (102kph), or 60 percent faster than the SUTs, while their maximum range of 50km, at 40 knots, is 25 percent greater than the SUTs’.
Upgrades would focus on increased sound suppression during launches, which seeks to prevent the target from acquiring sonar signals of the launch, the military said.
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