Japanese, Indian teams submit designs for Taiwan’s ‘Indigenous Defense Submarines’
Two teams from the US, and two teams from Europe have also submitted design proposals for Taiwan’s domestic submarine program
Earlier this year, the United States State Department approved the transfer of technology that will allow Taiwan to produce its own submarines for purposes of national defense.
There are reports that six foreign companies have already submitted design proposals for the submarines. Among the six companies, there are two from Europe, two from the U.S., as well as an Indian company and a Japanese firm offering designs for the subs.
According to recent reports, designs for the first generation of domestically produced submarines will be approved by March 2019, at which stage the government will begin taking bids for the construction project from domestic companies.
Once a sound design has been selected from among the proposals, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense, as well as those in the shipbuilding and defense industries will begin work on developing and fleshing out the designs, likely before the end of the year, with construction to begin before 2020.