Taiwan Navy holds lays keel ceremony for fist Indigenous Defense Submarine


According to information published by Radio Taiwan International on November 16, 2021, Taiwan's Navy hosted the keel-laying ceremony for its Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) to mark the completion of its first construction phase.
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link


Russian Vyborg Shipyard laid the Purga ice class coastguard ship of project 23550 925 001 A model of the future Indigenous Defense Submarine or IDS (Picture source: Twitter account of 新‧二七部隊 軍事雜談)


The Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) Program is a Taiwanese project to develop and construct a class of attack submarines domestically for the Republic of China Navy.

The first indigenous diesel-electric submarine is scheduled to start operations in 2025, and it will be followed by seven others. They will replace the four aging submarines the country received decades ago.

Taiwan has put an emphasis on the domestic development of a variety of weapons systems, from missiles to vehicles, to strengthen its defenses against China’s increasing aggressiveness.

The external design appears to resemble Japan's Soryu– and Oyashio-class SSKs by having an X-form rudder. The boats will be assembled using Japanese construction techniques in Taiwan.

Reportedly, a version of the AN/BYG-1 submarine combat management system, used in US Navy nuclear submarines, is being offered to Taiwan. Also, some influence in design is thought to have come from Dutch submarines currently operated by Taiwan. The vessels are estimated to be in the 2,500-ton class and 70m in length.