Taiwan is now operating the two oldest submarines in service in the world, the 72 year old SS-791 Hai Shih, ex-USS Cutlass, and the 71 year old SS-792 Hai Pao, ex USS Tusk. The Taiwanese government has announced that the Hai Shih is scheduled to be refit to allow the ship to continue sailing until 2026, at which point the submarine will be a remarkable 80 years old.

The two Guppy-class submarines were transferred from the US Navy to the Taiwanese in 1973 with sealed torpedo tubes. It is reported that the tubes were restored in 1976 and that modern torpedoes were purchased through Italy and other sources. The submarines have been used for training purposes and it is unclear whether or not they could be deployed in combat.

Taiwan is also planning to build a series of new submarines. In preparation, China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC) in Kaohsiung, established a submarine development center this August to support the design and construction of six to eight diesel electric submarines under their Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program. The new Submarine Development Center of CSBC (SDCC) has a budget of $95 million to produce a design for the IDS. 

Navy Command Headquarters Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mei Chia-shu told a legislative committee session: “We plan to complete the design by 2019 and complete the construction by 2024.”

The Taiwanese navy also has two Chien Lung class submarines, known as the Hai Lung (Sea Dragon) class, in service. The submarines were built in the Netherlands in the early 1980s and are capable of firing Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Life extension retrofits for these submarines were announced last April. 

In October, the United States approved the sale of MK-48 torpedoes to Taiwan.