The following are excerpts from the local media coverage
of the issue:
United Daily News:
The military has
commissioned a local shipbuilder to contact a non-U.S. country capable
of building submarines for cooperation in building conventional submarines.
After years of
negotiations, the military has received a positive initial response.
But military sources admitted that enormous efforts are still needed
to realize the goal because submarine production involves highly-advanced
technological expertise.
In the past few
months, the sources said the Naval Shipbuilding Development Center
has been very busy studying the blueprint of the country's two Hai
Lung-class (improved Dutch Zwaardvis-design) submarines -- the Hai
Lung (Sea Dragon) and Hai Hu (Sea Tiger) -- which were acquired from
the Netherlands and commissioned in 1987 and 1988, respectively.
Moreover, naval
authorities are preparing to send personnel abroad to study production
technology or negotiate technology transfers for building pressure-resistant
hulls, the most difficult part in submarine production, the sources
said.
Initially, the
military may start from building small submarines weighing in the
hundreds of deadweight tonnages.
Ruling Kuomintang
Legislator Justin Chou said he is pleased to see the Ministry of National
Defense (MND) willing to develop advanced weapon systems itself.
"I believe
both ruling and opposition camps would support the budget plan for
the development project," Chou said.
With the United
States shunning Taiwan's attempts to acquire diesel-electric submarines,
the MND has symbolically appropriated only NT$500,000 (US$17,241.38)
for the submarine acquisition project in its 2012 budget bill.
Hsu Chiang, a Chang
Jung Christian University professor who once headed Kaohsiung-based
China Shipbuilding Corp. (CSBC), said he actively promoted the idea
of building submarines locally during his tenure as CSBC chairman.
"While I'm
optimistic about the prospects of Taiwan building submarines domestically,
the challenges the military faces today may be greater than in the
past," Hsu said without elaboration. (Sept. 19, 2011).
Liberty Times:
Taiwan now has
only four submarines, including two former U.S. Navy Guppy II-class
vessels that began service during World War II, while China packs
the firepower of more than 30 subs, some of which are nuclear-powered.
With China's military
might continuing to grow, the United States is still unwilling to
sell Taiwan advanced F-16 C/D fighters and conventional submarines.
Analysts said Taiwan should overcome difficulties to develop cutting-edge
weapons on its own. (Sept. 19, 2011). (By Sofia Wu)
from: http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201109190035&Type=aTOD
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