Taiwan lays keel for first indigenous submarine
A screengrab showing in the background the expected form of the IDS from Taiwan. (MND)
Taiwan’s submarine programme continues to make progress, with the first keel laid last month.
A secretive ceremony took place on 16 November, where the keel for Taiwan’s first Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) was laid at the CSBC Corporation shipyard in Kaohsiung.
Adm Liu Chih-pin, the Republic of China Navy’s (ROCN) chief, attended the closed-door ceremony.
Codenamed Hai Chang, the IDS programme’s construction phase commenced in November 2020. Taipei needs modern submarines to dissuade China from mobilising its naval fleet against Taiwan.
In a video clip released by the Ministry of National Defense’s Political Warfare Bureau, a backdrop showed a submarine with an X-shaped rudder, suggesting this represents the final design of the IDS. Its
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