Taiwan's Submarine Prototype Secures Funding To Continue Tests

TaiwanPlus News

Lawmakers in Taiwan have agreed to continue funding the prototype of the country's first domestically made submarine, but the budget for the rest of the project is much less secure.

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00:00A proud day in Taiwan's naval history.

00:07Last year, the launch of Taiwan's first submarine prototype was being celebrated, but now the

00:12entire program of seven vessels is in jeopardy.

00:15For the past few months, lawmakers from both major political parties have gone back and

00:20forth about whether to continue domestic submarine production.

00:24But on Wednesday, legislators agreed that 18 million U.S. dollars would go to continue

00:29funding the first prototype to finish its testing.

00:53The submarine program was initiated by former President Tsai Ing-wen from the ruling Democratic

00:58Progressive Party, or DBP, in 2016, as Taiwan's two active submarines are almost 40 years

01:04old.

01:05But for many lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang or KMT, the problem stems from

01:10the high cost of building these vessels.

01:13The total proposed cost of Taiwan's submarine program is roughly 7.6 billion U.S. dollars,

01:19and aims to build seven submarines over 13 years.

01:22The challenge now is for Taiwan to approve the next part of the budget for 2026, which

01:27will likely face more opposition from the KMT.

01:31But many supporters of the program say these systems are crucial for Taiwan's defense.

01:47Taiwan reportedly worked with contractors from the U.S., South Korea and the U.K. to

01:52build its first prototype, facing threats from neighboring China, which claims Taiwan

01:57as its own and now has the world's largest navy.

02:00Taipei plans to use the sub to counter Beijing's aggression.

02:04While discussions on how the submarine will be used are ongoing, analysts in Taiwan say

02:08that for the military, the most important priority is to secure funding, and that means

02:13more engagement with lawmakers on all sides.

02:33The prototype submarine, also known as the Haikun, is about halfway through the testing

02:38needed before it can be commissioned.

02:40And while the budget for its future is now secure, the remainder of the fleet remains

02:45in limbo.

02:46Hank Xu and Jaime O'Connor for Taiwan Plus.

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