OREANDA-NEWS The launching ceremony of Taiwan's first self-made submarine Haikun took place in the city of Kaohsiung in the southwest of the island. This is reported by the Central News Agency of the island.

"In the past it seemed an impossible task, but the submarine is in front of our eyes. <...> We did it," Taiwan's chief of staff Tsai Ing-wen said at the ceremony, her words are quoted by the agency.

Mooring tests of the submarine are expected to begin in October, and then running tests.

The first Taiwanese-made submarine "Haikun" was laid down in 2020. Its displacement ranges from 2.5 thousand to 3 thousand tons. The submarine is equipped with six devices for launching Mk-48 torpedoes. It is expected that subsequent submarines of this series will also receive UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles.

As previously reported by the Central News Agency of the island, the construction of the lead ship of this series was carried out in three shifts around the clock. In total, the program provides for the construction of up to eight submarines of this project, for which it is planned to spend up to 300 billion new Taiwanese dollars (about $ 9.73 billion).

Currently, Taiwan's submarine fleet consists of four diesel-electric submarines. Two of them were built in the USA in the 1940s and are used for educational purposes. Two more submarines were built in the Netherlands in the 1980s and are modifications of the Zvardvis submarines. By 2025, the island expects to have three submarines in the Navy - two Dutch Zwardvis submarines and one submarine of its own design. By 2027, their total number should increase to four - a pair of Dutch and Taiwanese submarines.