Taiwan has launched its first submarine, the $1.54bn Hai Kun, which will receive US Mk 48 torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship missiles

As expected, the first Taiwanese-made submarine has been launched. This was announced by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence.

Here's What We Know

The ceremony was held at CSBC's shipyard in Kaohsiung City. The submarine was named Hai Kun (SS 711) and is the first submarine of the same name class. The cost is estimated at $1.54 billion. The submarine was built under the Indigenous Defence Submarine (IDS) programme.

The island nation's Ministry of National Defence said the submarine was launched ahead of schedule. This is a demonstration of CSBC's commitment to the country's armed forces.

Hai Kun (SS 711) has a displacement of 2,500 tonnes and a length of 70 metres. The hull is made of HSLA-80 CRHS56 steel. The submarine can dive to a depth of 420 metres. If we talk about armament, first of all we should mention six torpedo tubes for Mk.48 torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Taiwan plans to build 10 diesel-electric submarines of the Hai Kun class. The island nation now has two submarines that were designed in the Netherlands some 40 years ago.

Source: Taiwan Ministry of Defence