Kaohsiung: Taiwan's indigenous defense submarine (IDS), Hai Kun, embarked on its latest round of submerged tests from a shipyard in the southern port city of Kaohsiung on Thursday morning. This development comes just one week after a previous round of tests was deemed successful.

According to Focus Taiwan, the prototype, known in English as Narwhal, was observed departing from CSBC Corp., Taiwan, at approximately 8:30 a.m. for its third series of submerged testing. The event garnered attention from military enthusiasts who gathered at Kaohsiung Harbor to express their support for the IDS project.

Military expert Chi Tung-yun, present among the crowd, reported to CNA that the Hai Kun, a Taiwan Navy Dawu-class rescue and salvage ship, and the domestically produced military-use unmanned surface vehicle (USV), Endeavor Manta, were also seen departing the port simultaneously to accompany the IDS. Chi suggested that Thursday's trials were likely focused on shallow-water submerged tests at depths below 100 meters, mirroring the two previous test rounds conducted last month.

The frequency of these trials indicates that the IDS's overall condition has stabilized, eliminating the need for lengthy dry dock adjustments before advancing to further tests, Chi noted. A press release from CSBC on January 30 stated that testing of the Hai Kun would continue to ensure it meets the Navy's operational and combat requirements.

CSBC previously noted that initial shallow-depth tests aim to verify the submarine's basic systems. These will be followed by progressively deeper trials to evaluate performance under increasing pressure in deeper waters.