Image source: topwar.ru
Hai Kun (SS-711) is Taiwan's first self-designed and built diesel-electric submarine. In translation, the name means "narwhal" – a mythical giant fish. It was created to deter a potential Chinese invasion and modernize the outdated Taiwanese fleet.
Due to China's harsh geopolitical pressure, no country in the world has dared to sell modern submarines to Taipei. By the 2010s, Taiwan's fleet consisted of only two obsolete Dutch Hai Lung-type submarines (built in the 1980s) and two "museum" American submarines from World War II (which were used for training).
In 2018, a turning point came: the administration of US President Donald Trump allowed American defense companies to transfer key technologies to Taiwan. Engineers and experts from 6 other countries (including Britain) joined the project. In 2020, CSBC Shipbuilding Corporation began construction of a specialized factory in Kaohsiung and laid the main building. In September 2023, the presentation of the finished Hai Kun case took place. By the summer of 2026, the submarine had reached the final stage of deep-sea tests before the official transfer to the Navy.
Firing Mk 48 torpedoes from Hai Kun:
Image source: topwar.ru
In particular, footage of the first torpedo firings was shown. According to the Ministry of Defense, they were successful, "confirming the operability of the combat system, including detection, fire control, launch and guidance.":
Structurally, the submarine is a deep modernization of the Dutch Zwaardvis project, but it has received a completely new filling. Displacement of about 2500 tons above water and up to 2600-3000 tons underwater, length about 70 m, width about 8 m, working depth of immersion up to 300-350 m. The power plant is diesel-electric, based on advanced lithium-ion batteries (similar to the latest Japanese Taigei-class submarines), without the classic VNEU system. The submarine has an X-shaped rudder, which increases maneuverability in the shallow waters of the Taiwan Strait and reduces noise.
Lifting of Mk 48 torpedoes after testing:
Image source: topwar.ru
The crew consists of about 40-50 people. In the bow there are 6 TA 533 mm caliber for the use of American long-range heavy torpedoes Mk 48 Mod 6AT, designed to destroy large surface ships and amphibious transports. Through the same TA, the UGM-84L Sub-Harpoon anti-ship missile system can be launched. BIUS was developed by the American Lockheed Martin, sonar from Raytheon.
In total, Taiwan plans to build a series of 8 such submarines, which will form a defensive underwater barrier in the narrow Taiwan Strait and on the approaches to the island.
