Space Industry and Business News
FLOATING STEEL
Taiwan's first domestically-built submarine misses delivery deadline

Taiwan's first domestically-built submarine misses delivery deadline

by AFP Staff Writers
Taipei (AFP) Dec 1, 2025

Taiwanese shipbuilder CSBC Corp has missed the deadline for completing Taiwan's first domestically-made submarine, the defence minister said Monday.

The vessel is part of a submarine programme launched in 2016 that aims to deliver a fleet of eight vessels, but opposition lawmakers have criticised the repeated delays in the project.

Taiwan is seeking to upgrade its defences to deter China, which claims the democratic island is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it.

Sea trials of the submarine began in June, nearly two years after it was first unveiled.

The original target was to wrap up testing by September 30 and deliver the submarine by the end of November, the navy said previously.

But Defence Minister Wellington Koo said Monday that sea trials were ongoing.

"All the sea trials were supposed to be completed by the end of November, but in fact that is no longer achievable," Koo told lawmakers.

"I want to emphasise again that everything we do is based on safety assessments and there's no rush to meet any specific month."

A spokesperson for CSBC confirmed the delay.

The submarine programme has been plagued by obstacles.

Koo admitted in October that the original timeline for construction had been unrealistic.

"In practice, we face many difficulties, especially given our own circumstances, including equipment issues and delays in scheduling the manufacturers' technical personnel," Koo said.

The submarine measures 80 metres (262 feet) in length, has a displacement weight of about 2,500 to 3,000 tons, and boasts combat systems and torpedoes sourced from the US defence company Lockheed Martin.

The main opposition Kuomintang party and the Taiwan People's Party, which together control the parliament, froze part of the programme's budget earlier this year.

The parties said they wanted to see the results of the submarine's sea trials before releasing the funds.

Taiwan's navy currently has two working submarines, Swordfish-class vessels bought from the Netherlands in the 1980s.

Over the same period, China has built itself one of the world's largest navies, with nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FLOATING STEEL
North Korea says Seoul-US sub deal will trigger 'nuclear domino' effect
Seoul (AFP) Nov 18, 2025
North Korea denounced an agreement between Seoul and Washington to build nuclear-powered submarines, saying in a state media commentary on Tuesday that the deal would cause a "nuclear domino" effect. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced the finalisation of a long-awaited security and trade agreement with the United States last week, including plans to move forward with developing atomic-powered vessels. Seoul said it had secured "support for expanding our authority over uranium enrichm ... read more

FLOATING STEEL
Shenzhou XX capsule to return without crew after debris incident

Space operators urged to share costs of clearing orbital debris

Orbit Fab to lead ESA backed ASTRAL refuelling demo in orbit

AI eXpress 1 Plus completes first generation in orbit AI satellite trio

FLOATING STEEL
Europe backs secure satellite communications with multibillion euro package

SpainSat NG programme completed as second secure communications satellite launches

New Laboratory Showcases Advanced Satcom Capabilities for Australian Defence Force

European Response to Escalating Space Security Crisis

FLOATING STEEL
FLOATING STEEL
LEO internet satellites bolster navigation where GPS is weak

Ancient 'animal GPS system' identified in magnetic fossils

Centimeter-level RTK positioning now available for IoT deployments

Nanometer precision ranging demonstrated across 113 kilometers sets new benchmark for space measurement

FLOATING STEEL
Taiwan says test flights of US fighter jets to start this month

NASA refines aircraft icing safety modeling with GlennICE software

Venezuela foreign airline ban slammed as 'disproportionate'

Indian warplane crashes at Dubai Airshow, killing pilot

FLOATING STEEL
Amazon unveils new AI chip in battle against Nvidia

Single-photon switch could enable photonic computing

Quantum hardware roadmap highlights scaling hurdles on path to everyday applications

Japan's Rapidus plans second cutting-edge chip plant: reports

FLOATING STEEL
Gilat wins 10 million dollar order for transportable direct downlink earth observation system

Aechelon links Vantor 3D terrain with Orbion SkyBeam to boost ICEYE SAR AI

Farms show potential as large-scale tool for climate mitigation in QUT led research

EarthCARE mission tightens cloud and aerosol impacts in next-generation climate models

FLOATING STEEL
Delhi records over 200,000 respiratory illness cases due to toxic air

Watchdog says rollback of EU green rules rushed, unbalanced

Trump admin aims to roll back limits on deadly air pollution

New research measures how much plastic is lethal for marine life

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.