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Strategic Vision vol. 7, no. 39 (August, 2018)
Automated Alternative Unmanned subs offer alternative to costly submarine acquisition program Tobias Burgers
photo: Timothy Walter
T
A US Navy X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator aircraft on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77).
aiwan has embarked on an ambitious program to develop indigenous submarines. The national government seeks to develop a new generation of submarines to replace the Chien Lung class, which have been in service more than three decades. As they near the end of their operational lifespan, which has been extended already, the government understands the urgency for a new fleet of submarines. Foreign sales of submarines, from Germany, Japan, or Israel, for example, is not a feasible option, and
The Taiwan-based China Shipbuilding Corporation—the nation’s main naval vessel builder—has vied to win the government contract, and two years ago initiated a submarine development center in Kaohsiung. The development of eight submarines, with a possible increase to 12, has been foreseen within the space of two decades. The first system is expected to enter service in 2026. The US Congress voted for the defense act in 2018, which included offering Taiwan technical support for its submarine program. With US assistance, Taipei’s
Taiwan’s main armament and defense supplier the United States is not in the business of selling diesel submarines. Thus, Taiwan has opted to indigenously develop a new generation of submarines.
aim to develop a new generation of submarines appears closer than ever. The utility of submarines as asymmetrical tools has been widely documented. This is especially rel-
Tobias Burgers is a visiting scholar at the Institute of International Relations in Taipei. He can be reached for comment at burgers@zedat.fu-berlin.de