Taiwan has been working on a domestically produced submarine program for the past seven years. In a special ceremony on Thursday, the submarine, named Haikun, was finally revealed to the world.
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A bottle of champagne smashes against the hull as the emcee announces the christening of Taiwan’s first domestically-built submarine on Thursday. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) attended the ceremony and officially bestowed the vessel with the name “Haikun.” Tsai says the Haikun upholds Taiwan’s resilient and brave spirit, safeguarding the island country in the depths of the ocean. She adds that the Haikun safeguards Taiwan’s freedom and democracy, propelling the country into the future.
President Tsai especially thanked the submarine’s supervisor Admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光). She says Huang has masterfully steered the team to craft the submarine. A domestically produced submarine was once considered an impossible task, Tsai says, but Taiwan has accomplished this historic mission.
Chairman Cheng Wen-lon (鄭文隆) of CSBC Corp., which built the ship, says that submarines are part of Taiwan’s asymmetric defense strategy. He says the Haikun has an X-shaped rudder that distinguishes it from the four submarines that are currently in operation in Taiwan.
The Haikun cost NT$49 billion (US$1.52 billion) to build and will begin testing operations on October 1. It is expected that testing will be completed by the end of 2024, at which point the Haikun will be ready for its service with the Taiwan navy.