Note Wikipedia's belief that Taiwan's Hai Kun submarines are being "assembled using Japanese construction techniques in Taiwan. A Japanese team consisting of retired engineers from Mitsubishi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries is believed to have provided technical support." see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hai_Kun-class_submarine#Design
Within this Japanese help argument my theory is more specifically that Taiwan's Hai Kun "1" is more based on Japan's Oyashio-class submarines than based on any other Japanese or foreign subs.
Arguments include:
- the similarity of Oyashios and the Hai Kun (see below)
- both Oyashios and Hai Kuns don't have AIP, and
- while Japan (or any other nation) would use recent technology they would not transfer their latest technology for a Taiwanese submarine. One reason being Taiwanese ports and therefore shipbuilding are highly penetrated by PRC agents.
See David Axe's Forbes article "To Conquer Taiwan, China Needs Taiwan’s Ports. It Already Has Assets On The Inside." of July 28, 2021 at https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/07/28/to-conquer-taiwan-china-needs-taiwans-ports-the-takeover-has-already-begun/?sh=5b913e8b633c
which states in part: "Corporate acquisitions in recent years have put CCP loyalists in charge of some of Taiwan’s most important port architecture. In a crisis, these loyalists could supply Chinese invaders with vital intelligence, thus reducing the risk to the assault force."
“Over the past two decades, the CCP has established representative offices in Taiwan’s major ports, invested in Taiwanese port building projects and gained direct access to at least some of Taiwan’s basic port infrastructure,” Ian Easton, an analyst with the Project 2049 Institute in Virginia, explained in a new study. [at https://project2049.net/2021/07/22/hostile-harbors-taiwans-ports-and-pla-invasion-plans/ ]"
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Taiwan's Hai Kun "1" (Photo courtesy Mer et Marine)
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7 comments:
Time for me to procrastinate again.
Mitsubishi engineers (Mitsubishi were specifically reported on) were involved in the transfer of hull construction technologies, especially welding technology for the large subsections. There isn't really a "more advanced" or "less advanced" thing going on - it's just the way it's done. This was originally reported on by Taiwanese defence journalists. The most significant US support came in the form of Lockheed Martin's systems integration work and supply of combat management systems. Again, this comes from Taiwanese defense journalists.
Since modern Japanese subs and the ROCN's ex-Zwaardvis types both descend from the Barbels, so it is very hard to tell what the Hai Kun is based on. Certainly, they come from the same Barbel-ish family.
Thanks retort Pouch at 3/14/2024 3:03 PM
I'm mainly puzzled why Taiwanese security doesn't seem to be permitting 90 degree on - whole hull length photos - something that could resolve the Hai Kun's "parent DNA".
Cheers Pete
I reckon they're just not overly concerned with advertising the subs... but the truer answer is that the pictures are all over the internet so long as one can access Taiwanese news and search for pages in Chinese:
https://imgur.com/a/phauy
Lots of pictures of Hai Kun I've taken from the internet and screenshots
Hi retortPouch at 3/29/2024 11:07 PM
Welcome back.
Unfortunately when I try to follow your https://imgur.com/a/phauy link, it reaches ERROR site https://imgur.com/error/404
I'm looking forward to seeing lots of pictures of Hai Kun.
Cheers Pete
clearly, I'm incompetent at using Imgur. Hopefully, these links work - please download the images.
https://ibb.co/DDBB9dn
https://ibb.co/5MjzxVq
https://ibb.co/JK62gsm
https://ibb.co/xMqLVGM
https://ibb.co/MCYX1wT
https://ibb.co/yVzhbFz
https://ibb.co/BzbBXx5
https://ibb.co/yNjzh0g
https://ibb.co/qF035rf
https://ibb.co/7C3vbKs
https://ibb.co/9hkCXcJ
https://ibb.co/F7PBSj9
https://ibb.co/3csCtWS
https://ibb.co/RQ6f6xY
https://ibb.co/Yf5PBcS
https://ibb.co/VT7gcVt
https://ibb.co/s54JLLd
https://ibb.co/QfkmKzz
https://ibb.co/jvGMwKG
https://ibb.co/YpF6J1L
Thanks retortPouch at 3/30/2024 1:35 PM
I particularly found valuable the side view photos of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hai_Kun-class_submarine . Specifically:
https://ibb.co/5MjzxVq and
https://ibb.co/RQ6f6xY
They support my unyielding, yet logical belief, that as most of the design and foreign contractor build workforce were Japanese KHI and MHI workers the result was a combination of past Japanese submarine designs.
As Japan and Taiwan did not want to unduly antagonize the PRC - contractors and associated companies from other nations were largely a protective "shopfront".
Cheers Pete
I would concur, though it seems like the PRC didn't really bother following up on it - since one cannot really put diplomatic pressure on the US and Japan for supporting Taiwan.
At the time, they did get the SCMP (and domestic social media) to follow up on the X-tail... and try to connect it with the 218SG.
Of course, they never made noise about the RSN's MARSEC USV being designed and made at Lungteh (in Taiwan).
And, til' today, the Project Starlight exercise serial carries on in Taiwan.
Patchwork way of going about it.
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