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| Image: Wiki Commons |
Wendell Minnick
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan-based China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC) established a submarine development center on Monday to support the construction of six to eight diesel electric submarines under the Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program.
The Taiwanese Navy has a requirement to replace two inoperable World War II-era Guppy-class attack submarines as well as the life extension program for its two Dutch-built Sea Dragon-class (Zwaardvis Mk 2) submarines built during the early 1980s.
The new Submarine Development Center of CSBC (SDCC) will produce a design for the IDS under a budget of $95 million by the end of this year.
Taiwan’s Navy has expressed frustration since the US agreed to assist Taiwan in the acquisition of eight diesel attack submarines in 2001, but was unable to fulfill the promise due to pressure from China and technological challenges. The US has not built a diesel electric submarine since the Barbel-class in the 1950s.
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