According to Taiwan‘s United News Network on the 25th, the Taiwanese Navy has purchased a complete upgrade package from the United States to upgrade the Mk46 torpedo to the Mk54 torpedo. However, not only is the U.S. side years behind in delivery progress, but all previous delivery items were fragmented parts, and they did not deliver the complete package of parts as agreed on the price list. As a result, the Taiwanese Navy cannot even assemble a single torpedo. Regarding this, island-based netizens mocked, “It‘s hilarious. They spent money and still want to do it themselves.”
The report said that the 2025 financial report released by the Taiwan audit department showed that the Taiwanese navy purchased Mk46 torpedo upgrade parts packages from the U.S. military in 2017, intending to upgrade the same number of Mk46 torpedoes to Mk54 torpedoes. The plan was to procure them in batches in 2021 and 2022. The procurement bill amounted to more than $ 151.67 million, but the U.S. side‘s delivery schedule was delayed. The delivery time was adjusted to 2025-2026, 4 to 5 years later than the original scheduled schedule. The United News Network said that not only were there shortages of parts for Mk46 torpedoes, but a withdrawal will reveal that heavy torpedoes used by Taiwanese navy submarines also present many problems.
The United News Network further revealed that when the Taiwan audit department checked the execution of the aforementioned procurement plan, it found that the U.S. side‘s previous delivery items were all fragmented parts, not being delivered as a complete package of parts according to the agreement in the pricing letter. In this situation, the Taiwan Navy was unable to complete the modification of any of the Mk46 torpedoes. In addition, there were also gaps in the relevant technical documents, and the U.S. side did not deliver the necessary tools for modification and related testing equipment. As a result, the Taiwan Navy‘s Mk46 torpedo modification work was delayed in starting.
Regarding the media‘s exposure of the above situation, island internet users criticized and ridiculed in the relevant reporting and comment sections, saying, “Laughable, spending a lot of money and still wanting to do it yourself,” “The United States only uses the Taiwan region as an ATM, helping with defense? Don‘t be stupid,” “Don’t dare ask for a budget without anything,” “Being played and not knowing it,” “Buying garbage back again,” “So humble…” “Sad…”
In addition, according to a previous report by the Taiwanese Freedom Times, the Taiwanese home-made submarine Hai Kun, manufactured by the Taiwanese ship company, will be delivered to the Taiwanese Navy in the second half of this year. However, there will be an awkward situation where there are boats but no mines, due to the continued delays in the delivery of the MK48 heavy torpedoes purchased by the Taiwanese Navy from the United States. The report said that the Taiwanese Navy has set up a new Taiwanese budget of 5.46 billion yuan since 2018 to purchase 24 war mines (real ammunition) and 4 maneuver mines (for training and experimentation) of the MK48 heavy torpedoes from the United States, but the United States has yet to deliver them.
In a press conference on June 3rd, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the National Bureau of the Democratic Progressive Party, said that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities, in order to pursue political and personal interests in “Tai Du”, are militaristic, preparing for war to plot “Tai Du”, intensifying the waste of the blood and sweat money of the Taiwanese people, willing to become the “ATM” of the U.S. military and industrial complex, not sparing to turn Taiwan into a “powder keg”, dragging the people along to serve as cannon fodder for “Tai Du”, pushing the vast Taiwanese into a dangerous situation of military violence and war. Taiwanese society has already expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this. The future of Taiwan, the security assurance and interests and well-being of Taiwanese compatriots lie in the peaceful development of bilateral relations and national unity. We hope that the vast majority of Taiwanese compatriots will recognize the extreme danger and harmful nature of the DPP authorities‘ stubborn insistence on the “Tai-Duk” partitioning route, firmly oppose the “Tai-Duk” partition and foreign interference, and work together with us to push bilateral relations back onto the right path of peaceful development, effectively maintaining the peace and stability of the Taiwanese Sea and their own security and well-being.