Taipei, Sep 28 (UNI) Taiwan on Thursday launched its first homegrown defense submarine, the Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) Narwhal, the island's Central News Agency (CNA) reported.
The launching ceremony took place in the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung and was presided over by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
"Today will go down in history," CNA quoted Tsai as saying.
Building a defense submarine in Taiwan was once considered an impossible task, she said, adding that it has now become a reality.
The submarine is 229.6 feet long, 26.2 feet wide and 59 feet high. Its displacement is 2,500-3,000 tonnes. The vessel is equipped with six torpedo tubes, Mk-48 long-range guided torpedoes and UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
The ceremony was also attended by the IDS program's head, Huang Shu-kuang and American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk.
Earlier in the week, Huang said that after the ceremony, Narwhal would undergo a series of tests, including a sea trial. After the tests, the submarine is expected to be delivered to the Taiwan navy in late 2024.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing regards the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous entity but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contacts with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable.
The latest escalation around Taiwan took place in April after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States. Beijing responded by launching massive three-day military drills near the island in what it called a warning to Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers. In August and September, the Taiwanese armed forces reported multiple sightings of Chinese naval and air patrols in the island's vicinity. On September 18, the ministry reported a record high of 103 Chinese aircraft seen near the island in one day.
UNI/SPUTNIK AKS