Taiwan’s first domestically-built submarine, the “Haikun Warship,” departed from the Taiwanese Shipyard pier at 8 a.m. on the 17th for its maiden sea trial. After a successful journey lasting over 5 hours, it returned to port, marking a significant milestone in Taiwan’s defense industry’s autonomous development of submarines.
In a press release on the evening of the 17th, Taiwan International Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (CSBC) stated that the “Haikun Warship” had met the necessary safety and quality requirements for sea trials. It had conducted navigation tests within Kaohsiung Harbor on the 14th, followed by its first floating test on the 17th, which included the maiden dynamic integration tests of propulsion, rudder, power, ventilation, communication, and navigation systems at sea. Based on these results, CSBC will continue to adjust and improve the systems for the next phase of submerged trials.
CSBC outlined that the sea trials were divided into three stages: floating, shallow water submersion, and deep water submersion, following the safety standards for underwater submarine testing. Each stage involves multiple sea trials, with adjustments and enhancements made according to the test results. The testing depth will progressively increase during submersion to ensure the fulfillment of operational requirements under safe conditions.
According to CSBC, the testing team for this project consists of personnel from CSBC, the Navy, equipment manufacturers’ technical staff, and technical consultants. Prior to the first sea trials, comprehensive safety assessments of each system were conducted based on submarine testing experiences from various countries, with adjustments made accordingly, and navigational training carried out.
Following the completion of the floating test items, CSBC plans to dry dock the “Haikun Warship” for performance calibration of various system equipment, overall watertightness testing, underwater equipment inspections, as well as bio-cleaning of the hull and painting operations before proceeding with submerged trials.