[Parliament]Enhance combat effectiveness to cope with changes in the Navy, Army and Air Force to purchase arms, including two new submarines

Faced with a future full of variables, establishing strong defense capabilities and protecting national interests is our top priority. The Ministry of National Defense will purchase new arms for the navy, army and air force, including two additional submarines and new models of coast patrol aircraft.

Defense Secretary Dr. Huang Yonghong announced the news Monday (March 3) when debating the Ministry of Defense spending budget on the Congressional Appropriations Committee.

my country currently has four Invincible-class submarines customized for Germany, two of which were officially put into service last year, and the other two are expected to wait until 2028.

Huang Yonghong said that the two active submarines operate well in tropical waters, so the armed forces therefore plan to add two more to increase the total number of submarines to six. But he did not disclose whether the two additional models would be purchased from Germany again.

“For submarine fleets, four submarines are not the best choice. Because they have to operate under strong pressure, they have to go through stricter and more frequent maintenance cycles and more rigorous inspections, and the time they can run is relatively less. This is why most navies, including Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam, have more than four.”

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The first multi-purpose warship to replace the Victory-class missile-driven submarine express ship will be put into operation within this year.

The Air Force is also looking for a new model of the Coast Guard aircraft to replace the Folk 50, which was launched in 1993. Alternative models included in the evaluation include Boeing’s P-8A and Airbus’ C295, he said. In addition, the eight F-35A fighter jets that my country announced last year had recently confirmed orders to the United States.

On land, the Army will introduce a new infantry fighting vehicle called “Titan”, which is equipped with a 30mm remote-controlled weapon system artillery and anti-UAV system. The High-Mobile Rocket Launch System (HIMARS) launched in 2010 will also be upgraded to equip newer and more powerful rockets.