Just how significant an accomplishment it is for Taiwan to design and build its own domestic submarine can’t be overstated.
Commentary
Just how significant an accomplishment it is for Taiwan to design and build its own domestic submarine can’t be overstated. However, it also can’t be emphasized enough that Taiwan was forced to build its own submarines because Western countries that had considered selling submarines to Taiwan were cowed by threats from the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) into backing out from doing so.
So, with no other choice, Taiwan undertook the considerable challenge of building its own sub, reportedly with considerable “secret” technical support from defense companies and engineers from at least seven countries.
Taiwan’s first home-grown submarine, the Hai Kun (SS-711), cost approximately $1.54 billion. This puts it on the high side of costs for a diesel-electric attack submarine, which
typically comes in at less than $1 billion. However, the costs most likely include one-time design and development costs that won’t be applied to the other seven Hai Kun class submarines Taiwan plans to build, meaning that the unit cost for the sister ships should be significantly less.
The Hai Kun is a diesel-electric submarine with a displacement of approximately 2,500 tons and a length of approximately 230 feet. While not fully confirmed, it’s thought that the Hai Kun incorporates some form of air-independent propulsion (AIP). With AIP, a diesel-electric submarine of the Hai Kun’s size can stay underwater for weeks, making it much harder to deal with from a tactical perspective.
Its main weapon will be the highly regarded
Mk-48 torpedo, of which it should be able to carry at least 16. Its combat system is being provided by Lockheed Martin, which has also provided submarine combat systems and sensors for Brazil, Spain, Canada, Australia, and so forth.
Too Few?
Some have dismissed Taiwan’s new submarine program as largely irrelevant given the fact that China has more than 60 submarines and hundreds of surface warships. However, the war between the UK and Argentina
showed that a lone obsolete diesel-electric submarine in need of repair can wreak havoc even when facing a Navy widely thought to be one of the best, if not the best, in the world when it comes to anti-submarine warfare.
More evidence of the impact one submarine can have occurred
in 2005, when Sweden’s Gotland-class AIP diesel-electric sub, the HSMS Gotland, was able to penetrate the U.S. Ronald Reagan’s anti-submarine warfare defense screen over and over again during a war game simulation. The defense screen included many ships, a submarine, and anti-submarine warfare helicopters.
Another example of the threat one submarine can pose
occurred in 2009, when, according to The Diplomat, a Chinese “Song-class (Type 039) diesel-electric attack submarine unexpectedly surfaced within torpedo range of the American aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, calling into question the anti-submarine warfare capability of the carrier strike group.” Even today, many analysts believe that current anti-submarine warfare capabilities are inadequate to the task of defending against competently commanded modern attack submarines.
Hence, there’s little doubt a lone submarine can have an impact even when going up against superior forces. But to focus on the Hai Kun as being an active hunter of other ships is to overlook what could be its most important role, that of being a clandestine naval mine layer. Taiwan already has significant capability to rapidly lay large quantities of
naval mines. By adding the additional ability to clandestinely lay mines, including influence mines, directly in the path of convoys of ships whose mission is to invade Taiwan, Taiwan’s Navy adds another dimension to the use of naval mines, making them even more lethal and more of a headache for the People’s Liberation Army Navy. And it’s this kind of
asymmetric warfare that provides the most bang for the buck for Taiwan’s relatively limited defense budget.
But no matter how potentially effective Taiwan’s new submarines may be, if they aren’t ported in safe, highly protected bases that allow them to come and go undetected, they could be destroyed before Taiwan has a chance to use them. Another threat to these submarines is sabotage. So, for Taiwan, investing in high-cost assets such as these new submarines must also include investing in the facilities and the operational security to ensure that they can be deployed when they’re needed.
Western Support
While it’s fantastic that Taiwan has had the ingenuity and grit to develop such useful and powerful assets to protect its freedom, it’s also sad that the CCP was able to cow the West into not selling Taiwan the submarines it needs. And the fact is that Taiwan will only be able to deploy its second Hai Kun class submarine in 2027 and will most likely not be able to complete its eighth submarine until 2039. That’s a long time away, and there are many who believe that Taiwan doesn’t have nearly that long before the communists move to crush
Taiwan’s thriving democracy.
Of course, it’s hardly news that Taiwan is under threat, and there has been a lot of talk about how the West will respond and what its response would look like. But when you look at things from the CCP perspective, just how credible is Western nation saber rattling when the Western nations have already demonstrated that they can be cowed into not selling Taiwan one of the most effective deterrents to invasion—submarines?
Even today, Taiwan would almost certainly be willing to buy such fantastic submarines as Sweden’s Gotland class or Germany’s Type 212. Such submarines would rapidly boost Taiwan’s ability to defend itself and would complement any Hai Kun class submarines Taiwan manages to build and deploy prior to hostilities breaking out.
Yes, Taiwan’s new submarine is impressive, and it'll be useful in defending the freedoms of its citizens. But what would be even more useful would be for Western countries who are talking tough about defending Taiwan to immediately sell Taiwan the type of weapons it needs to deter China—including modern diesel-electric submarines.
That, far more than talk, will send the CCP the message that the West isn’t going to stand by and let the world’s dominant producer of advanced semiconductors fall under the control of the CCP.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
