Taiwan's Homegrown Submarine: Sea Trials Face Delays, Sparking Funding Concerns

The Narwhal submarine program encounters setbacks, prompting scrutiny of timelines and budget allocation.

Taipei, Taiwan - The launch of sea trials for Taiwan's first domestically built submarine, the Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) prototype nicknamed "Narwhal", is likely to be postponed, according to recent statements from the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

Originally slated to commence this month, the sea trials are now facing delays. The MND's initial schedule aimed for completion by September 30th.

"April was the original goal… We are currently working on improvements and final calibrations to meet the requirements set for sea trials. That is our main goal," said Navy Chief of Staff Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) at an MND news conference. When questioned about the delays, Chiu emphasized the focus is on achieving the "technology readiness level required for the vessel to go out to sea, not on the schedule."

The MND had previously assured that sea trials would begin this month, responding to reports of setbacks. Issues with the Narwhal, or "Hai Kun" in Chinese, had been reported, including potential delays stemming from voltage surges during testing that caused component failures.

The IDS program has already experienced several setbacks. In September 2023, before the prototype's unveiling, Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), then convener of the program, stated that harbor acceptance tests would begin on October 1, 2023, followed by sea acceptance tests. Delivery to the Navy was anticipated before the end of 2024, according to Huang.

However, the delivery timeline was later pushed back to November of this year. This, coupled with the MND's acknowledgment in September 2024 that the Narwhal failed multiple categories during harbor trials, prompted concerns from the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP).

These parties voted to freeze NT$2 billion (US$61.91 million) of the proposed funding for the IDS program for fiscal year 2025, about half the total, with the condition that the funds be released only after the Narwhal successfully completes its sea trials.

Chiu confirmed the funds will be unfrozen if the sea trials are completed on schedule and if the MND briefs the legislature on the outcome. Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) indicated that CSBC Corp, the contractor, faces penalties if the submarine is not delivered by November as per the contract.