Free Republic

Taiwan's navy will arm its submarines with anti-ship missiles for the first time ever beginning next year, a report said Wednesday, as the island boosts its defence capabilities against rival China. The Taipei-based United Daily News said the navy, which ordered the US-built Harpoon missiles in 2008, recently test-fired the weapons in the United States, in preparation for installing them on its two Dutch-built submarines. "The missiles will become operational on the two submarines next year," the newspaper said, citing an unnamed naval source. It said that the more than 30 missiles, which have a range of 120 kilometres (72...

Taiwan on Tuesday put into service its first missile boats featuring what the navy described as "stealth" technologies, aimed at boosting defence capabilities against rival China. The squadron of 10 guided-missile boats, seen by top brass as a major improvement on Seagull vessels which have been in service for the past 20 years, joined the navy at the Tsuoying naval base in the south of the island. "Its combat capabilities are much superior to the 50-tonne Seagull-class missile boats," the navy said in a statement released ahead of a ceremony in Tsuoying. "The new home-made weapons system is expected to...

Defense officials on the island that has fallen behind in the military balance of power with China had agreed with Washington in 2008 to a study on upgrading Taiwan's aging submarine fleet but will stop pushing the item to keep peace with Beijing, said a source close to the Defense ministry in Taipei. "Taiwan isn't asking for the submarines anymore," the source told Reuters. "The biggest consideration was the warming of relations with mainland China." China has blasted the United States over a planned $6.4-billion arms package for Taiwan, saying it would place sanctions on U.S. firms that sell weapons...

Recently, the Taiwanese Navy detected an unidentified submarine outside one of its major naval bases. Ships and helicopters pursued the contact, but the suspected submarine left the area. A Chinese boat was suspected, mainly because for the last decade, Chinese subs have increasingly been showing up close to Japan and South Korea as well. Two years ago, Japan increased anti-submarine patrols in international waters, just outside Japanese territorial waters. Chinese submarines were apparently exercising there more frequently, looking for Japanese, South Korean and American warships to play tag with. The U.S. has also redirected more of its space based naval...