A Chinese military helicopter flies over Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan, on April 7, 2023
In photo: a Chinese military helicopter flies over Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan on April 7, 2023. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Two of the aircraft detected Friday morning near Taiwan were Harbin Z-9 helicopters
  • Taiwan unveiled its first home-built submarine, the Narwhal or Hai Kun, on Thursday
  • The sub is expected to begin underwater testing next month

Nearly two dozen Chinese jets – two of them anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft – entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) Friday morning after the self-governed island unveiled its first home-grown submarine named "Narwhal."

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MOD) wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that 23 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and five People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships were detected at 6 a.m. UTC Friday (6 p.m. EST Thursday) near the island. Four of the detected aircraft entered the southwest and southeast ADIZ of Taiwan, with two of them being Xian H-6 medium-range bombers and the other two being China's Harbin Z-9 ASW helicopters.

The flyby of Chinese ASW aircraft near Taiwan came after the island unveiled its very first home-made submarine. "A fruit of our self-reliant defense policy and future underwater capacity that guards our waters, Taiwan's first indigenous defense #submarine has been named 'Narwhal' and was christened by President Tsai Ing-wen" Thursday morning, the MOD said. The sub is also called "Hai Kun," which, in Mandarin, is said to be a mythical sea creature.

Tsai also posted about the milestone on X, saying the submarine, with a $1.54 billion price tag, signified how Taiwan "has taken a substantial step in boosting self-sufficiency in defense & protecting territorial waters."

During her speech at the unveiling ceremony, Tsai said the "efforts of all our partners" helped Taiwan reach the milestone. "History will remember all of your contributions to this," she said.

Taiwan did not reveal the submarine's size or capability and journalists were not allowed to take close-up photos due to security reasons, as per CNN. Reporters were only given a tour of the submarine's shipyard.

Sandra Oudkirk, the U.S.'s de facto ambassador to Taiwan, attended the unveiling ceremony along with representatives from South Korea and Japan's Taipei missions.

Taiwan is looking to build eight submarines in the coming years as part of the island's Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program.

Narwhal, which was built at a shipyard owned by shipbuilding company CSBC Corp, will start the underwater testing process next month. It will then undergo sea trials in the succeeding months before it is handed over to the Taiwanese Navy at the end of 2024.

"Submarine building is one of the most challenging defense articles for any nation to build. And certainly, to build submarines that are quiet capable, is something that only a few countries in the world can do," former U.S. Navy submarine commander Tom Shugart said.

Taiwan has been strengthening its defense strategy in recent years as the threat of China grows. While it has also bolstered alliances with key partners such as Washington, it has also shown an increasing determination to become self-sufficient in defending its sovereignty.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in its biennial defense report that it was studying Ukraine's asymmetric defense strategy against Russia, signaling its dedication to military self-sufficiency.

Timothy R. Heath, senior international defense researcher at the think tank RAND Corporation, told International Business Times earlier this month that Taiwan should bolster its defenses as Washington would be more inclined to support the self-governed island if it invests in its own defenses.

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