I've noticed the potential for great confusion caused by Taiwan's submarine class naming conventions, with successive classes being called Hai Shihs, Hai Lungs and now Hai Kuns (formerly Indigenous Defense Submarines (IDS))
As Biden (in his one of his last compos mentis acts) and then the Pope and now the Sec-Gen of the UN have deputized yours truly world Namer-in-Chief of submarine classes (I claim I first, in 2016 used the term "Dolphin 3s" for Israel's Dakar-class) I hereby name Taiwan's Submarines (TSS). So, following this logic:
Hai Shihs are now TSS-1s
Hai Lungs are now TSS-2s and
Hai Kuns are now TSS-3s.
What's good for South Korea's KSS-Is, KSS-IIs & KSS-IIIs, is even better for Taiwan.
I hope and trust President Tsai Ing-wen will send me but a pittance, just 1% of the TSS-3s' program budget, for this kindly act of renaming? :)
Cheers Pete
6 comments:
Taiwan is also getting a new minisub, hopefully they'll build more than
one:
'In parallel to the full-sized Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS), Taiwan
is building a much smaller submarine. The Huilong design is a midge
submarine intended for testing, It will be armed with torpedoes however."
See:
http://www.hisutton.com/Taiwan-Huilong-Submarine.html
Hi Anonymous at 9/29/2023 9:51 AM
Thanks for the http://www.hisutton.com/Taiwan-Huilong-Submarine.html short article on "Taiwan Building Midget Submarine: Huilong Project"
Where it states:
"It will be 30 meters long, have a 3.6m diameter outer hull and a sail, giving it an overall height of 6 meters. The pressure hull length is 20 meters. Displacement is around 100 tons."
The displacement figure would need to be "surfaced". 100 tons may be a bit light on. Although H I Sutton knows more about midget subs than me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midget_submarine
This is because South Korea's old Dolgorae-class Midget sub design had much smaller dimensions 25m long with a 2.1m beam but its displacement was "175 tonnes...full load" which I assume means submerged https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolgorae-class_submarine
I think it likely Taiwan has gained South Korean assistance and would be crazy not to adopt some Dolgorae-class design lessons in its Huilong Submarine Project.
Cheers Pete
Minisubs have been proposed for Taiwan in the past, but the
Taiwanese Navy seems more interested in larger boats:
"More recently in 2014 the HARD ROC 2.0 report by
the US Strategic and Budget Assessment Center
recommended that Taiwan instead concentrate on
building a large fleet of some 42 midget
submarines. This 350 ton design is most likely in
response to this."
See:
http://www.hisutton.com/Taiwanese_midget_sub.html
Midget submarines make sense in close littoral waters, see the ROKS Cheonan sinking. They also still have a useful role in special force applications.
Minisubs will not have the underwater endurance/range/weapons, unless they are UUVs, and we should expect the PRC to start a cross-straight conflict by sending hundreds to infiltrate Taiwanese waters, so it makes sense that a contingency has been formulated.
I fully expect a wave of unmanned subsurface, surface and airborne UVs to begin a cross-strait attack.
Hi Shawn at 9/30/2023 1:52 PM
Yes, when PRC's 2027 (or later) inavasion occurs, Taiwan could respond to PRC use of unmanned craft (including many PRC missiles). T XLUUVs could smart-mine PRC ports and naval bases, as well as activating smart-mines pre-laid in the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere off T's coast.
As Taiwan is set on using medium subs (TSS-2s and TSS-3s) they could do longer range counter blockade work as well as attacking warships and transports coming out of PRCs ports and naval bases. Then T mini-subs with some torpedoes for closer in/littoral actions.
Regards Pete
Hi Anonymous at 9/30/2023 2:39 AM
As Taiwan is set on building TSS-3s probably adding "42 midget...350 ton" or 120 ton midget subs may be the way to go. It would complicate the PLA-Ns ASW efforts.
Although I don't see any value in using Divers or Chariot diver delivery vehicles (presumably for attaching limpet mines on PRC hulls or landing on the PRC coast for sabotage ops) http://www.hisutton.com/Taiwanese_midget_sub.html
PRC forces would be fully alerted (with a great deal of port/base defence manpower and sensors) in the runup and during a war.
However 120 tonne mini-subs (say carrying 4 externally mounted torpedoes) could be used defensively. Unlike XLUUVs (that could be electronically "hijacked") manned mini-subs can use their judgement to launch torpedoes at PLA-N warships.
Regards Pete
Post a Comment