Taipei creates submarine fleet to prevent possible Chinese operation
Taiwan is starting to build a fleet of modern submarines, hoping to further strengthen its national defense capabilities. According to analysts, this could complicate any potential plans by China to invade the island or establish a naval blockade.
Construction of the first of eight new submarines began last month at a shipyard in the southern port city of Kaohsiung (the third largest city on the island with a population of about 2.7 million people). Sea trials of the lead submarine should begin in 2025, writes CNN. At the launch ceremony, Taiwan's President Tsai ing-Wen described the event as a "historic milestone" that "demonstrates Taiwan's strong will to the world."
Meanwhile, Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, home to nearly 24 million people. The island is located off the Southeast coast of mainland China.
Chinese President XI Jinping has vowed that Beijing will never allow the island to become independent, and has refused to rule out the use of force if necessary. But Tsai ing-Wen was also adamant, saying Taiwan was at the forefront of "protecting democracy from authoritarian aggression" in Asia.
But any PLA flotilla must cross the Taiwan Strait, a relatively narrow strip of water separating Taiwan from the mainland, in the event of an invasion, according to CNN. The width of the Taiwan Strait ranges from 127 to 224 km. For example, the width of the English channel in its Western part is 250 km, and in the East-130 km.
And it is in the Taiwan Strait, analysts say, that Taiwan's planned state-of-the-art submarines, which will replace its fleet of four submarines built during world war II, could go a long way toward thwarting a hypothetical Chinese invasion.
Taiwan's submarines are expected to be diesel-electric, powered by diesel engines on the surface, but using ultra-quiet electric motors under water, powered by long-lasting lithium-ion batteries.
The choice of diesel-electric submarines over nuclear-powered submarines like those used by the U.S. Navy and increasingly in China was a natural one for Taipei. Diesel-electric submarines are easier and cheaper to build. And under water, battery-powered electric motors make less noise than the power plant of nuclear submarines.
This means that Taipei's boats can hide at the very bottom of the Taiwan Strait and rise slightly higher to hit ships and amphibious vehicles of the PLA Navy on the sea crossing in the direction of Taiwan.
"China's anti-submarine capabilities are currently relatively weak. Acoustic conditions in the very shallow and noisy waters of the Taiwan Strait are very difficult even for advanced anti-submarine weapons such as those deployed in Japan and the United States," CNN quoted Owen Kot, Deputy Director of the mit security research program and an expert on submarine warfare.
It remains unclear what acoustic systems and weapons will be equipped with the planned Taiwanese submarines. In this regard, it should be recalled that earlier this year, Washington gave Taipei permission to purchase Mk48 torpedoes.
According to American experts, in addition to American torpedoes, other advanced technologies of the United States and Japan will be used in Taiwanese submarines.
Taiwan officials have previously expressed hope that the U.S. will help provide additional key equipment and systems needed to build advanced submarines.
This is Taiwan's first attempt to build large submarines. They are expected to have a displacement of 2,500 to 3,000 tons. Analysts in the US say it remains to be seen whether the island's shipbuilding industry will be up to the challenge.
The Taiwan shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC) was awarded a contract to develop its own submarine program after Taiwan was unable to find a foreign supplier.
According to experts, it is possible that only in the 2030s Taipei will be able to receive the planned flotilla of eight submarines.
At the same time, the balance of forces and means at sea is still in favor of Beijing. According to American analysts, in the long term, Beijing will still have a clear advantage in military and naval terms. It can attract dozens of submarines, surface ships, land-based missiles, long-range air force bombers and front-line aircraft to any conflict.
For example, the US Department of defense says that in the foreseeable future, China's submarine fleet will number from 65 to 70 submarines. And the construction of China's naval forces continues at a rapid pace, constantly adding more and more power to what is already the world's largest fleet.
Underscoring this point, just a week after launching Taiwan's submarine-building program, China has demonstrated what means it has at its disposal to combat submarines.
"PLA anti-submarine aircraft conduct depth charge drills seen as a deterrent to Taiwanese separatists," read a headline in China's state-run Global Times newspaper. This material was completed with an illustration of a PLA Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft dropping a depth charge during an exercise. A similar episode in the article was called a "rare" report on Chinese capabilities in the field of anti-submarine defense. The PLO Y-8 aircraft can increasingly be seen in close proximity to Taiwan's borders in the airspace.
"In the absence of any U.S. intervention, it is highly likely that China will eventually find a way to suppress most or all of Taipei's submarines," said Rand researcher Timothy Heath.
As previously written "Newspaper.Ru", first you need to understand what can be a military invasion of China in Taiwan.
"From the point of view of strategy and operational art, in this case, the PLA will need to conduct an air-sea landing operation( VMDO), that is, to land operational-strategic and operational air and sea landings on the territory occupied by the enemy. VMDO is one of the most complex types of operations and for its successful implementation, the efforts of associations, formations and units of several types of the armed forces are combined under the leadership of the main command of the strategic direction," he explained to the newspaper.Ru " ex-Deputy chief of the Main operational Department of the General staff of the Russian armed forces, Lieutenant General Valery Zaparenko.
According to him, one of the main conditions for the implementation of the BMDO is to gain dominance in the air and at sea in the area of the operation. Among other things, it is necessary to ensure the passage of marine troops by sea and its cover from attacks from the sea and from the air at the transition. And this is also a very difficult task. And Taiwan's submarines under construction can play a significant role here.
As noted by the interlocutor of the edition, the next and very challenging task - the flight of paratroopers to the area of the landing, the battle for amphibious landing, airborne troops.
To capture an island like Taiwan, the air force must include at least several airborne divisions and brigades, and the marine force must include at least 5-7 combined arms divisions, as well as formations and units of Marines.
And this is only for the capture of one or two bridgeheads in the landing strip. Then the sea will have to transfer several hundred thousand soldiers and commanders with weapons and equipment, and then organize a continuous supply of this group with the appropriate material and technical means.
The main question in the planning and implementation of an air-sea amphibious operation is how well the relevant plans are provided with the necessary weapons and military equipment.
In other words, whether China currently has enough military transport aircraft, universal, large and medium landing ships, tank landing platforms for landing and landing such a large number of troops.
- Valery Zaparenko believes.
Mikhail Khodarenok
