Indigenous Submarines an Unlikely Dream for Taiwan

Taiwan’s Defense Minister Yang Ming has stated that his Ministry of National Defense (MND) is considering the possibility of independently developing small diesel-electric submarines (SSKs), which would displace between 1500 and 2000 tons.

After losing the opportunity to procure SSKs from the U.S. in the 2000s, an insufficient number of SSKs has been a major strategic flaw in Taiwan’s deterrence strategy.

Its two Guppy II Class SSKs, of World War II vintage, are for training only, leaving two Dutch Zwaardvis Class vessels obtained in the mid-1980s as its only operational assets.

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