TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following requests by Taiwan’s military, the United States agreed to move up the delivery of 46 MK 48 torpedoes to 2025 from 2028, reports said Saturday (May 6).
The report followed news Friday (May 5) that an extra 18 high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) ordered by Taiwan, in addition to 11 bought earlier, would arrive in 2026 instead of 2027 and 2028.
The torpedoes were also to be delivered in 2028, but under an adjusted schedule all of them will be delivered during the first half of 2025 at the latest, per the Liberty Times.
The MK 48 MOD 6 Advanced Technology (AT) Heavy Weight Torpedo (HWT) is designed to be launched from submarines to sink deep-diving submarines, including nuclear ones, as well as surface ships. While both Taiwan’s military and the U.S. changed the content of the package and the nature of the torpedoes during the negotiation period, the final price tag amounted to US$250 million (NT$7.64 billion).
Their range of 50 kilometers is 25% higher than the range of the Taiwan Navy’s current torpedoes, and their top speed of 101 kph is 60% higher. The MK 48 is also relatively quieter, making it difficult for targets to find and to take evasive action against.
Taiwan’s current Dutch-built submarines and the indigenous submarines scheduled to be launched during the next few years will all be equipped with the MK 48 torpedoes, according to the Liberty Times. The report also hinted that the military was expected to place more orders later.