Taiwan has presented its first submarine of its own, the Nawhal. In the event of a Chinese invasion, submarines should make it much more difficult to completely blockade the island. The targets for Nawhal will be aircraft carriers.
President Tsai Ing-wen said that the construction of the diesel-electric vessel is a great achievement because it was built inside Taiwan. The official name of the submarine Nawhal can be loosely translated as “Sea Monster”.
The submarine is an important realization of our specific commitments in the defense of our country. It is also important equipment for our naval forces in developing asymmetric warfare strategies,” the President said.
She added that previously, submarine production in the country was considered an impossible task. The Defense Ministry believes that submarines could significantly complicate a potential invasion by China, which has been increasingly vocal in recent years about its opposition to the island.
There are no details on the characteristics or capabilities of the ship. It is planned that Taiwan will have 3 submarines by 2025, and this task is almost completed, as there are 2 Dutch submarines in service. Earlier, Taipei announced plans to build 8 submarines at its own shipyard.
Admiral Huang Shukuan, an adviser to Taiwan’s National Security Council and head of the submarine project, said that the main task of the submarines would be to prevent Beijing from implementing a naval blockade of the islands.
“Because submarines can operate deep underwater and are difficult to detect, they have a better chance of approaching (Chinese) aircraft carriers and launching an attack,” Shukuan said.
The Taiwan Strait may be too shallow for submarines to operate, but they could be most useful if they target Chinese warships in the Bashi Strait, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines.
