Section

Navy

Submarines, surface combatants, coast guard and maritime security.

Taiwan's navy plans a NT$18.3 billion second Panshih-class supply ship to replace the ageing Wuyi

The Wuyi reaches 40 years of service in 2029, so the navy wants a new fuel and ammunition ship based on the Panshih design in service by the end of 2032.

TaiwanDefence · 2d ago · 2 min read

A grey angular stealth frigate with a tall single mast sails toward the camera across a bay, with two small inflatable boats nearby and a car carrier in the distance

Navy

US Navy study of foreign frigates, including South Korea's Chungnam class, nears its deadline

Korean reports say the Navy will finish assessing Korean, Japanese, Turkish and British designs by 12 November, though no competition has been launched.

TaiwanDefence · 5d ago · 3 min read

Taiwanese Marine Corps troops during a 2020 national military exercise in Kaohsiung

Navy

Taiwan's marines plan their first gun turrets built to shoot down drones

The Marine Corps wants two 30 mm automated turrets for NT$93m next year as Taiwan's military adds hard-kill weapons to its mostly jamming-based drone defences.

TaiwanDefence · 5 Nov 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

Taiwan's navy takes its new ARD-7 floating repair dock to sea for the first time

The CSBC-built dock, due for handover by 30 November, will replace the 70-year-old ARD-6 that flooded and sank inside Zuoying naval harbour in May 2025.

TaiwanDefence · 5 Nov 2026 · 3 min read

A grey Endeavor Manta drone boat built by CSBC shown from the side

Navy

Taiwan think tank urges rough-sea tests and shared standards for the military's 1,320 drone boats

A DSET report says Taiwan's navy and coast guard should test sea drones in Taiwan Strait weather and set common standards before buying in bulk.

TaiwanDefence · 5 Nov 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

HD Hyundai starts building the first of two new frigates for the Philippine Navy

The South Korean shipbuilder cut steel in Ulsan for the lead 3,200-ton ship of a 2025 order and says it wants to beat the 2029 delivery schedule.

TaiwanDefence · 4 Nov 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

India orders eight 4,950-ton corvettes from two state shipyards in a $5.7bn naval deal

India's defence ministry signed contracts worth 53,866.5 crore rupees with GRSE and Goa Shipyard for eight Navy-designed next-generation corvettes.

TaiwanDefence · 4 Nov 2026 · 3 min read

A grey aircraft carrier with a flat flight deck and an island superstructure sailing on open sea, seen from the side

Navy

China has two aircraft carriers at sea as Taiwan counts more than 100 Chinese ships in the Western Pacific

Taiwan's security chief says Chinese navy and coast guard deployments have doubled in a week, as satellite images place the Fujian and Liaoning in separate seas.

TaiwanDefence · 4 Nov 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

South Korea launches Seo Hui, its second 3,600-ton submarine built to carry ballistic missiles

The KSS-III Batch-II boat entered the water at Geoje with lithium-ion batteries and 70 home-built systems, and is due to join the navy in 2028.

TaiwanDefence · 4 Nov 2026 · 2 min read

A black Virginia-class submarine moored pierside, its sail and hull visible above the water

Navy

USS Colorado will be the first US attack submarine to rotate through Western Australia under AUKUS

The US, Australia and Britain named the Virginia-class boat as the first for Submarine Rotational Force-West at HMAS Stirling, starting in late 2027.

TaiwanDefence · 27 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

South Korean navy flight instructor becomes the service's first pilot to log 10,000 accident-free hours

Park Ki-hyun, a former navy helicopter pilot who now trains new aviators at Mokpo, reached the mark on a training flight on 23 October, the navy said.

TaiwanDefence · 25 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A grey aircraft carrier with a ski-jump bow sailing on open sea, seen from the side

Navy

Philippine Navy reports track the Liaoning carrier group turning northeast past Mindanao

Monitoring reports obtained by a Manila broadcaster say the Chinese carrier group ignored radio challenges before heading for the Philippine Sea.

TaiwanDefence · 25 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A black submarine sails on the surface toward the camera, leaving a white wake, with several other submarines spread out behind it on a calm blue sea

Navy

India's home-built submarine AIP system enters its next phase of tests at Hazira

DRDO has begun the Setting to Work Phase-2 stage for its fuel-cell air-independent propulsion module, with a Kalvari-class refit planned for early 2027.

TaiwanDefence · 24 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A dark-hulled Chinese diesel-electric submarine moored at a naval pier with sailors standing on its deck

Navy

Russian design bureau sent submarine designs and test data to China, C4ADS report finds

A Washington research group traced 12 shipments worth over 80 million dollars from Russia's Rubin bureau to Chinese military buyers between 2015 and 2023.

TaiwanDefence · 24 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

New Zealand navy task group returns home after North Korea sanctions patrols and RIMPAC

HMNZS Te Mana monitored UN sanctions on North Korea for the first time, while the oiler Aotearoa refuelled a Japanese warship under a new supply pact.

TaiwanDefence · 24 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A large cargo ship moored at a long concrete pier with cranes, seen through haze from a hillside above low warehouse buildings and trees

Navy

Satellite images suggest North Korea may build a 10,000-ton cruiser and a new naval base at Nampo

A South Korean imagery firm says new materials, worker housing and land reclamation at the west coast yard point to a warship bigger than the Choe Hyon destroyers.

TaiwanDefence · 24 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

The grey Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning under way at sea, seen from the side with its ski-jump bow and island superstructure

Navy

China's carrier Liaoning is seen passing through the Basilan Strait off the southern Philippines

The PLA Navy carrier group, last placed by Japan south of Ishigaki in mid-October, was reported off Zamboanga City, far south of its earlier track.

TaiwanDefence · 24 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A large white naval survey ship decorated with signal flags lies moored at a harbour pier under a hazy sky

Navy

Taiwan's navy hires two firms to chart the seabed off its southwest coast

A NT$36 million defence contract covers a depth survey of waters southwest of Taiwan and airborne laser mapping work, with results due by August 2027.

TaiwanDefence · 22 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine on its cradle inside a shipyard hall, its bow painted in Taiwan's flag colours

Navy

Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine penalties pass NT$60 million as delivery runs 321 days late

The navy is booking a fine of about NT$190,000 a day against CSBC and will deduct the total from the builder's final payment once the prototype is handed over.

TaiwanDefence · 18 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

Taiwan's navy will hire fishing boats and civil aircraft to map its likely invasion beaches

The navy plans to send civilian survey firms with sonar and airborne lidar onto its red beaches, feeding a NT$1.25bn data centre for minelaying and submarine hunting.

TaiwanDefence · 17 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

Taiwan's navy will wire air combat training pods into its four Keelung-class destroyers

A NT$2.44bn joint buy of NCSIST ACTIS pods will link the navy's air-defence flagships to the air force's live training network for joint drills.

TaiwanDefence · 15 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Hai Kun submarine at Kaohsiung naming and launch ceremony

Navy

Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine begins deeper sea trials on its 25th outing

The indigenous prototype left Kaohsiung on 15 October for harder endurance and deep-dive checks as CSBC and the navy push toward year-end delivery.

TaiwanDefence · 15 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Two Taiwanese sailors in dark uniforms stand on the deck beside the black sail of a submarine flying the Republic of China flag in a harbour

Navy

Taiwan's upgraded Hai Lung submarine will anchor a month of anti-submarine drills

The navy will run three waves of sea-air anti-submarine drills off the southwest from 28 October to 27 November, and plans to buy 100 underwater training targets.

TaiwanDefence · 14 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning underway with island superstructure visible

Navy

China sends the Liaoning carrier group into the Western Pacific after Lai's National Day speech

Beijing calls the 14 October cruise routine training, but Taiwanese reporting notes the same political timing pattern as the group's long May-June voyage.

TaiwanDefence · 14 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

The black Hai Kun submarine with a Taiwan flag-coloured bow sits on yellow cradles inside a large shipyard hall, with a red carpet in front.

Navy

Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine heads for deep-dive tests in late October, the last hurdle before delivery

The prototype made its 24th sea outing on Tuesday as the navy and CSBC prepare deep-water trials that stand between the boat and year-end delivery.

TaiwanDefence · 13 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

India commissions third Kochi-built submarine hunter as navy promises a new ship every 40 to 50 days

Mangrol, a 900-tonne shallow-water anti-submarine craft, joined the fleet in Mumbai as a senior admiral said 10 ships have entered service this year and eight more are due.

TaiwanDefence · 13 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A grey stealthy littoral combat ship with a tall integrated mast and pennant number 2501 moored at a pier in calm water.

Navy

Malaysia narrows search for anti-ship missiles to arm its delayed first littoral combat ship

Defence Minister Khaled Nordin says talks with shortlisted suppliers to replace Norway's Naval Strike Missile will not wait for the 2027 budget.

TaiwanDefence · 12 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A black Virginia-class submarine on the surface with crew in orange life vests on deck and an American flag on the sail

Navy

US Navy asks shipyards who can build its next-generation SSN(X) attack submarine

A market-research notice asks which US yards could be prime builders for the Virginia-class successor, which is not expected in service until the 2040s.

TaiwanDefence · 11 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A large grey amphibious assault ship with a ski-jump flight deck is guided into harbour by a black and white tugboat under a clear blue sky.

Navy

Navantia and L&T team up to offer Juan Carlos I-based assault ships to India's navy

The Spanish and Indian shipbuilders signed a memorandum in Madrid to bid together for four amphibious assault warships that India wants to build at home.

TaiwanDefence · 11 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A man in a checked shirt and dark vest presses a button on a steel plate-cutting machine as sparks fly inside a large shipyard workshop

Navy

Indian Navy's third next-generation offshore patrol warship, Shreyas, is launched in Kolkata

Garden Reach Shipbuilders has now floated three of its four 3,000-tonne patrol warships in under five months, part of an 11-ship programme for India's navy.

TaiwanDefence · 11 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A group of people in white hard hats stand on the black deck of a submarine beside its tall sail, with a harbour and industrial buildings behind them

Navy

Hai Kun sea trials will end only when CSBC reports to legislature, shipbuilder's chairman says

Chen Cheng-hung said finishing the tests would not mean an immediate handover and played down a claim that the prototype submarine cannot hear.

TaiwanDefence · 10 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A black Japanese submarine with the hull number 513 on its sail sails through a harbour with crew lined up on deck and hills behind

Navy

Japan's defence minister says public sees need to debate nuclear-powered submarines

Shinjiro Koizumi weighed the boats' endurance and speed against their cost as Tokyo considers naming them in security documents due by year-end.

TaiwanDefence · 10 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Navy

US reportedly accepts Taiwan's price requests for MH-60R sub-hunting helicopters and C-130Js

Military sources told the Liberty Times that Washington has taken Taiwan's letters of request for two long-sought aircraft, a first step that falls well short of an approved sale.

TaiwanDefence · 10 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

The black sail of Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine, marked 711, moored at a pier with cargo cranes in the background

Navy

Hai Kun submarine stays docked as year-end delivery target nears and experts split over its control system

With about two and a half months left on CSBC's year-end pledge, a former navy adviser says Taiwan's prototype submarine needs a new platform management system; an analyst says debugging is enough.

TaiwanDefence · 9 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

JS Taigei, a grey diesel-electric attack submarine with the sail number 513, sails outbound past industrial waterfront buildings.

Navy

Japan launches seventh Taigei-class submarine Shogei in Kobe

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries floated the diesel-electric boat for the Maritime Self-Defense Force on 8 October as Tokyo weighs propulsion choices for a larger VLS-armed follow-on design.

TaiwanDefence · 9 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A grey angular warship with the hull number 1202 and signal flags strung from its mast, moored beside a pier with trees and buildings behind it.

Navy

Taiwan's delayed light frigates clear engine logjam as second upgraded Kang Ding frigate nears delivery

Military sources said on 8 October that engines for the navy's two light frigate prototypes will soon be tested and shipped, and that the frigate Kang Ding should return upgraded by year-end.

TaiwanDefence · 8 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

Lawmaker presses defence ministry over near-threefold cost jump for navy's next two rescue ships

Legislator Ma Wen-chun said on 7 October that each planned follow-on Dawu-class rescue ship would cost NT$10.58 billion, almost three times the NT$3.66 billion first ship.

TaiwanDefence · 8 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A missile trails a white smoke plume into a blue sky after launching from a grey warship, seen from the ship's foredeck with a deck gun in the foreground and open sea behind.

Navy

Taiwan's first land-based Harpoon missiles due by year-end as navy plans fourth littoral combat group

Senior officials said on 7 October that the first missiles for Taiwan's Harpoon coastal defence system will arrive before the end of the year, with a new littoral combat group to form in 2027.

TaiwanDefence · 7 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

AEVEX and partner executives at a Taipei uncrewed systems news conference

Navy

US delivers AEVEX Lynx USVs to Taiwan Marine Corps for training

AEVEX confirmed on 2 October that Lynx unmanned surface vessels shipped by the US government are already transferred to Taiwan's Marine Corps for ongoing training.

TaiwanDefence · 4 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Hai Kun indigenous submarine departing Kaohsiung Harbour for sea trials

Navy

Hai Kun submarine begins late-stage sea trials ahead of delivery

Taiwan's indigenous Hai Kun prototype ran its 23rd sea sortie and 17th dive on Oct. 2 as shipyard and navy teams push toward year-end handover, experts say.

TaiwanDefence · 2 Oct 2026 · 2 min read