President Tsai Ing-wen inaugurated the Made in Taiwan submarine program Nov. 24 in the southern city of Kaohsiung, underscoring the commitment of the government to further strengthening the country’s indigenously developed military capabilities.
 
Strong national defense hinges on the heroism of service members, Tsai said. Equally important is ensuring the country’s fighting men and women possess superior equipment enabling them to successfully carry out all manner of missions, she added.
 
According to Tsai, submarines play a key role in the navy’s asymmetric warfare capabilities, as well as deterring hostile vessels from encircling Taiwan. The MIT program demonstrates to the world that government is nonnegotiable on safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, she said.
 
Set for construction at the CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, shipyard in Kaohsiung, the submarines are expected to enter service in 2025. They are produced under an agreement concluded in March 2017 by the Ministry of National Defense with locally based CSBC and Taoyuan City-headquartered National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology in northern Taiwan.
 
The submarines are another example of homegrown NCSIST collaborative undertakings such as the navy’s fast minelayer and air force’s Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer. The former was launched Aug. 4 in northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County, while latter had its maiden flight June 22 at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in central Taiwan’s Taichung City.

State-backed NCSIST, the primary provider of indigenous weapons systems for Taiwan, is a key player in the government’s five-plus-two innovative industries plan. The initiative is fostering the development of the biotech and pharmaceuticals, green energy, national defense, smart machinery and Internet of Things sectors, as well as the circular economy and a new paradigm for agricultural development. (YCH-E)
 
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