Two Taiwanese defense academics offered their insights into the design of Taiwan’s first Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS), the Hai Kun (海鯤), or “Narwhal” which made its debut on Thursday and was dubbed a milestone in Taiwan’s efforts to produce domestic submarines and achieve “defense autonomy.”
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) and Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌) from the government-funded think tank Institute for National Defense and Security Research, both attended the launch ceremony at a shipyard in Kaohsiung belonging to CSBC Corp, Taiwan. The contractor for the IDS project said they believe the prototype is primarily based on the body of Japan’s Soryu-class submarines, while its sail, the superstructure that rises from the submarine’s deck, bears similarities to the UK’s Astute-class submarines.
CSBC chairman Cheng Wen-lon (鄭文 隆) said that the IDS prototype carries the pennant number “711” and features an X-shaped rudder, a departure from the cross-shaped rudder seen on previous models, giving it an edge over Taiwan’s other submarines in active service.
Photo: AFP
‘x’
Su said the Narwhal’s X-shaped tail and two horizontal stabilizers resemble the designs of Israeli’s Dolphin-class diesel-electric submarine.
The “X” shape has proven more maneuverable than the traditional cruciform shape. Meanwhile, the horizontal stabilizers provide better stability, handling and stealth, and allows for quicker emergency floats and dives, he said.
At Thursday’s ceremony, the bow of the submarine, along with the torpedo tubes and other critical components, were concealed beneath a Taiwanese flag. Cheng said this measure was taken to prevent the disclosure of many confidential parts of the submarine for security reasons, pending further testing.
When asked why the navy chose to cover the Narwhal’s tail during the ceremony, Shu said that “enemy forces” could estimate the prototype’s underwater speed and acoustic fingerprints by observing its number of propellers, their angles and structural designs.
Besides its weapons system and propeller designs, both Su and Shu said it was important to closely monitor the indigenous submarine’s sonar system, which was also concealed for security reasons.
SONAR
The academics said that modern submarines, including the Narwhal, have a bow array sonar as main sonar sensor, and a passive “incept sonar” system to detect sound waves approaching it.
The Narwhal also boasts a flank sonar array mounted symmetrically on the port and starboard sides, enhancing detection characteristics at low frequencies thanks to the increased array aperture.
The flank sonar array provides the submarine with “eyes on its two sides,” significantly expanding its range capabilities and performance, Shu added.
Meanwhile, Su discussed his understanding of why the designers of the IDS prototype opted for the traditional deep-cycle flooded/wet lead-acid battery over the more advanced air-independent propulsion system, a marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen.
Though the wet lead-acid battery has a shorter lifespan, it is more stable and reliable to operate, which is a priority for Taiwan’s first IDS, he said.
Retired admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光) said that following the ceremony, the prototype would undergo a harbor acceptance test, followed by a sea acceptance test, and is expected to be delivered to the navy before the end of 2024.
Foreign tourists who purchase a seven-day Taiwan Pass are to get a second one free of charge as part of a government bid to boost tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. A pair of Taiwan Passes is priced at NT$5,000 (US$156.44), an agency staff member said, adding that the passes can be used separately. The pass can be used in many of Taiwan’s major cities and to travel to several tourist resorts. It expires seven days after it is first used. The pass is a three-in-one package covering the high-speed rail system, mass rapid transport (MRT) services and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services,
Drinking a lot of water or milk would not help a person who has ingested terbufos, a toxic chemical that has been identified as the likely cause of three deaths, a health expert said yesterday. An 83-year-old woman surnamed Tseng (曾) and two others died this week after eating millet dumplings with snails that Tseng had made. Tseng died on Tuesday and others ate the leftovers when they went to her home to mourn her death that evening. Twelve people became ill after eating the dumplings following Tseng’s death. Their symptoms included vomiting and convulsions. Six were hospitalized, with two of them
DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the
BIG collection: The herbarium holds more than 560,000 specimens, from the Japanese colonial period to the present, including the Wulai azalea, which is now extinct in the wild The largest collection of plant specimens in Taiwan, the Taipei Botanical Garden’s herbarium, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with an exhibition that opened on Friday. The herbarium provides critical historical documents for botanists and is the first of its kind in Taiwan, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute director Tseng Yen-hsueh (曾彥學) said. It is housed in a two-story red brick building, which opened during 1924. At the time, it stored 30,000 plant specimens from almost 6,000 species, including Taiwanese plant samples collected by Tomitaro Makino, the “father of Japanese botany,” Tseng said. The herbarium collection has grown in the century since its