Taiwan's first domestically built submarine, the Narwhal, completed its maiden submerged sea trial off Kaohsiung, performing a shallow-water submerged navigation test. Led by CSBC Corp., the eight-boat programme leverages U.S. and British technology; the Narwhal will carry a Lockheed Martin combat system and Mark 48 torpedoes at a cost of about T$49.36 billion (~$1.58bn). Taipei aims to field at least two homegrown subs by 2027 as part of a wider shift to asymmetric defence, supported by an extra $40bn defence pledge announced in November 2025.
Taiwan's Narwhal Completes Maiden Undersea Trial, Boosting Indigenous Submarine Program
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen attends the launching ceremony of Narwhal, its first domestically built submarine, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Taiwan has completed the maiden submerged sea trial of its first domestically built submarine, the Narwhal, marking a major milestone in an ambitious programme to strengthen deterrence against the Chinese navy and to protect critical sea lanes in the event of conflict.
CSBC Corp., the Taiwanese shipbuilder leading construction of a planned eight-vessel fleet, said the Narwhal carried out a shallow-water submerged navigation test off the southern port city of Kaohsiung. The company called submarines a 'key strategic capability with deterrent power' as the platform progresses toward further trials and final acceptance.
Technical Partners, Armament and Costs
The indigenous programme has drawn on technology and expertise from multiple partners, including the United States and Britain. The first boat is budgeted at T$49.36 billion (about $1.58 billion) and will be fitted with a combat management system by Lockheed Martin and armed with U.S.-made Mark 48 heavyweight torpedoes.
FILE PHOTO: Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen attends the launching ceremony of Narwhal, its first domestically built submarine, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo
CSBC is building the Narwhal to join Taiwan’s two older submarines purchased from the Netherlands in the 1980s. The programme has faced delays and logistical challenges, which CSBC attributed to international constraints and pressure from China.
Strategy and Timetable
Taipei aims to deploy at least two domestically developed submarines by 2027 and has indicated that later boats may be fitted with missile capability. Facing a much larger Chinese military — which fields aircraft carriers, ballistic missile submarines and advancing stealth aircraft — Taiwan is emphasising asymmetric warfare: mobile, harder-to-target systems such as submarines, drones and truck-mounted missile launchers.
In November 2025 President Lai Ching-te announced an additional $40 billion in planned defence spending to accelerate modernisation. (Exchange rate used here: $1 = 31.2190 Taiwan dollars.)
CSBC said the project has encountered difficulties 'due to constraints in the international environment and pressure from the Chinese communists,' underscoring the geopolitical challenges surrounding Taiwan's defence efforts.
Further sea trials and system integration tests are expected before the Narwhal is formally delivered to the navy. The trial demonstrates Taiwan's growing indigenous shipbuilding capability and its push to field more advanced, survivable platforms.
Help us improve.
