Taiwan to build indigenous diesel submarines

[CougarKing]

Taiwan is going it alone due to past setbacks in acquiring foreign submarines...which is partially due to the fact that the US and other foreign sub builders don't want to jeopardize trade relations with mainland China buy selling Taiwan the diesel subs it desperately needs. They currently operate just 2 Dutch-made submarines sold to them in the 1980s, plus 2 older "Guppy" ex-USN Gato/Tench/Balao class diesel subs (modernized WW2-era subs) used only for training. Compare that to the large Chinese submarine fleet, which numbers more than 60 submarines (most are diesel-powered, but a few are nuclear-powered)

Defense News

Taiwan Pressing On With Local Sub Build
By WENDELL MINNICK 11:55 a.m. EST December 16, 2014

TAIPEI – Taiwan Navy officials are committed to their submarine build plans and will not wait for the US government to fulfill a 2001 pledge to sell Taiwan eight diesel submarines, a senior Navy official said.

The 2001 deal has been held up by a variety of problems, including the fact the US no longer builds conventional attack submarines. If the US won't deliver, "we are prepared to go with an indigenous build," the Navy official said.

The Taiwan Navy refers to the US foreign military sales case as the Taiwan Defense Submarine program. A State Department spokesman declined to comment.

As a standby, the Taiwan Navy has begun the Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program. Even if the US cannot move forward on the sale, US companies can still participate in the IDS program, the Navy official said.

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[CougarKing]

I wonder if Canadian shipbuilders such as Seaspan and Davie will be there?

Defense News

Taiwan Announces Defense Shipbuilding Expo
Wendell Minnick, Defense News 8:35 a.m. EDT March 30, 2016


TAIPEI — The inaugural Kaohsiung International Maritime and Defence Expo will be Aug. 25-28 in the southern port city of Kaohsiung.

The southern port city of Kaohsiung is also home to Taiwan’s biggest naval base, Tsoying Naval Base, and the Taiwan Navy has been pushing hard for a domestic ship build program that will include up to eight conventional attack submarines.

US defense contractors, such as BAE, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, and Rolls-Royce have been invited, and show organizers are awaiting a response, said Tiffany Chou, the exhibition’s public relations organizer.

The navy is going forward on the Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program and all US defense contractors have a potential market share of the program, said a senior Taiwan Navy officer. Taiwan's only two combat-operational submarines are Dutch-built Zwaardvis-class subs acquired in the late 1980s. It also has two of the oldest submarines in operation — two Guppy-class submarines acquired in the early 1970s that served at the end of World War II. These submarines are described as training platforms, not operational ones. The Guppys will be retired soon and the Zwaardvis “urgently” need refurbishing, said the navy officer, and US defense contractors will be bidding on that contract, as well, he said.

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[Colin Parkinson]

Under the CPC, yes I think they would, Davie might go just to spite the Liberals

 

[CougarKing]

As mentioned in an older article, there had been unofficial discussions between Taiwan and Japan over the possibility of a Soryu class SSK buy much like the offer for Australia, but it seems like Taipei isn't waiting.

Navy Recognition

Taiwan Started Designing its Own Diesel-Electric SSK Submarines
Friday, 08 July 2016 09:36
The Republic of China (ROC or Taiwan) Navy said on Thursday it has started design work on its domestic attack submarine programme, hoping to complete it in 2024. Navy Command Headquarters Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mei Chia-shu told a legislative committee session: “We plan to complete the design by 2019 and complete the construction by 2024.”

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