Taiwan’s Hai Kun submarine testing could extend to 2026

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's indigenous Hai Kun-class submarine (海鯤號潛艦) faces extended testing delays, with Navy chief Admiral Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) calling the original six-month schedule "overly optimistic" Monday (Oct. 20). Chiu told the Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's parliament, that testing will complete by May 2026, when the U.S. equipment lease expires.

Chiu confirmed construction proceeded without delays, with all equipment test reports meeting naval requirements. Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏), chairman of CSBC Corporation, Taiwan's state shipbuilder, (台船), emphasized the submarine's diesel engine production by a major manufacturer specifically designed for naval vessels.

Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and Vice Admiral Chao Ya-ping (趙亞平) of the National Defense Procurement Office (國防採購室) warned of daily fines if CSBC fails to deliver by November. These fines could reach 20% of the NT$19.3 billion (around US$633 million) construction cost, approximately NT$4 billion (around US$131 million), if CSBC misses the deadline.

Kuomintang, Taiwan's main opposition party, (國民黨) legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) inquired about the Navy's lease of torpedo verification equipment from the U.S. Chiu assured the lease, spanning from May 2025 to May 2026, allows sufficient time to complete submarine-launched torpedo tests.

Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan's ruling party, (民進黨) legislator Lin Chu-yin (林楚茵) expressed concerns about potential cognitive warfare by China's Communist Party against the Hai Kun submarine. Maj. Gen. Shih Shun-wen (史順文), director of the Political Warfare Bureau (政戰局), stated China's cognitive warfare operations remain constant, with the military monitoring and responding to threats daily. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$30.5)