Sub-launched Harpoons delivered to Taiwanese Navy pose new challenge to China

[CougarKing]

Taiwan's Hai Lung class SSKs have more firepower added that would make the Chinese PLA-N more uneasy about a cross-strait invasion.

Taiwan's Sub-launched Harpoons Pose New Challenge to China's Invasion Plans

Defense News

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has acknowledged the Navy took delivery last year of long-awaited submarine-launched Harpoon Block II anti-ship cruise missiles, a new complication to any Chinese invasion plans.

The delivery included 32 UGM-84L encapsulated all-up rounds, two UTM-84L exercise missiles and two UTM-84XD certification and training rounds, said Fu Mei, director of the Taiwan Security Analysis Center.

These will be divided between Taiwan’s two Dutch-built diesel-electric attack subs, the 793 Hai Lung (Sea Dragon) and the 794 Hai Hu (Sea Tiger), acquired from the Netherlands in the 1980s. Taiwan also has two World War II-vintage Guppy-class subs used only for training, but sources said neither has been at sea for years.

Though Taiwan has a wide array of anti-ship cruise missiles, including land-based and ship-launched Hsiung Feng 2/3 missiles, and ship-launched and air-launched Harpoons, the submarine-launched Harpoons will give it a greater opportunity to stealthily strike Chinese targets, including land-based coastal targets.

The “L” designation on the UGM-84L indicates it has a littoral suppression capability that allows limited coastal target attack, such as upon ships inside a harbor, harbor infrastructure, power grids, invasion staging grounds, and command-and-control centers, a Taiwan defense industry source said.

“In this sense, the introduction of the sub Harpoon could be seen as providing Taiwan with a small measure of asymmetric counterforce capability,” Fu Mei said.

The Harpoons incorporate the inertial measurement unit of the joint direct attack munition, as well as the software, mission computer and GPS/inertial navigation system from the standoff land attack missile-expanded response, the Taiwan defense industry source said.

The Harpoons will allow Taiwanese submarines to strike targets farther north and south along China’s coastline. This would include Shanghai, Zhoushan, Xiazhen and Sandu in the north, and Shantou, Zhanjiang and the new nuclear submarine based at Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island to the south.

“The sub-Harpoon capability will certainly be meaningful in a cross-strait conflict, particularly one involving an amphibious invasion scenario,” Fu Mei said.

 

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

"......a small measure of asymmetric counterforce capability.....”

A very small measure, indeed.
Taiwan's two seaworthy subs are regarded by many as not quite up to par, and the country has been trying to acquire more advanced submarines for years. This small measure would seem to be too little, and quite late.

 

[a_majoor]

While Tiawan by itself might not be able to make much of a difference (although they now have a credible means of attacking the Chinese aircraft carriers), I think this signals a wider distribution of these sorts of weapons in the region. The ROK and Japan are already ramping up based on Chinese rhetoric, and the Indina Navy might be willing to make some good cash by selling their supersonic BRAMOS missiles to smaller forces like Malasia or the "Tigers". Essentially the Chinese have invited people to "bring it", and <sarc>remarkably</sarc>, they did...

 

[CougarKing]

An update on Taiwan's sub-launched Harpoons:

Defense News

Report: Taiwan Tests Submarine-Launched Missiles
Oct. 19, 2014 - 12:29PM  |  By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s navy successfully test-fired two anti-ship missiles from a submarine, in the first such exercise since the weapons were acquired from the United States, local media reported Sunday.

The Harpoon missiles were launched from Hai Hu (Sea Tiger), a Dutch-built conventional submarine, during a drill last week, the Liberty Times and the United Daily News said, citing unnamed naval sources.

Taiwanese navy started taking delivery of the missiles last year to arm two submarines.

The missiles, which have a range of 150 nautical miles (278 kilometers), would boost the attack capabilities of the two submarines previously only armed with torpedoes with a limited range, the naval sources were quoted as saying.

(...SNIPPED)