Hai Kun-class Submarine (IDS)

The Hai Kun (Narwhal) is Taiwan's first indigenously built submarine under the Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program. Designed to break Taiwan's dependence on aging Hai Lung-class submarines (acquired from the Netherlands in the 1980s), it represents a landmark achievement in Taiwan's defense industry.

Program launched 2016, contract signed 2020. Launched September 2023, sea trials throughout 2024-2025. Formal commissioning completed 2024. Seven more submarines planned in subsequent batches. The program received covert technical assistance from U.S. and other allied defense contractors.