The Chinese-made submarine Haikun conducts its 15th submersible test. The Navy’s 256th Team will face the transformation of its combat capabilities.

The Chinese-made submarine Haikun conducted its 15th submarine test on the 21st. (File photo, taken by reporter Li Huizhou)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Reporting from Taipei] The Chinese-made submarine Haikun conducted its 15th submersible test yesterday (21st). Rear Admiral Lin Zhihao, captain of the Navy's 256th team, and other officers and soldiers sailed with the ship. According to public information, this team is the core combat force of the Navy. It currently has the Sea Lion and Seal submarines that have been in service for a long time and are used for training, as well as the Sea Dragon and Sea Tiger submarines that have gradually completed performance improvements and are currently the main force. If the Haikun passes the test and joins, it will form "three generations under one roof", which also means that this force will usher in a critical period of combat power transformation.

The history of Navy Team 256 can be traced back to the "Wuchang Boat Fleet" established in 1965. It was reorganized into Team 256 in 1976. In 1988, the team leader's rank was promoted from colonel to major general. Among the active forces, the most senior ones are the USS Sea Lion and USS Seal. The two submarines were originally built by the United States during World War II and were handed over to my country for service in 1973. They are both more than 80 years old. The main tasks at this stage include training of submarine officers and soldiers, fleet anti-submarine warfare training, and also having capabilities such as surveillance and mine-laying. It can be said to be an important platform for the cultivation of naval submarine personnel and the inheritance of combat skills.

The Navy's underwater forces that truly shoulder the main force of active combat readiness are the two Stegosaurus-class submarines, Hailong and Haihu. The two ships returned to service in the Netherlands from the Netherlands in the 1980s. They have a submarine displacement of approximately 2,667 tons and are equipped with six 533 mm torpedo tubes. They are still the main underwater combat force of the Chinese military. The Navy has also continued to promote the performance improvement of the Stegosaurus-class combat system in recent years, and plans to integrate MK-48 heavy-duty torpedoes and submarine-launched harpoon missiles, so that the two submarines, which have been in service for nearly 40 years, can continue to maintain combat readiness.

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As for the new generation Haikun, it is still in the testing stage and has not yet been officially handed over to the army. Strictly speaking, it is not yet a member of Team 256. However, since Team 256 has already established a "Hai Kun Ship Reception Group" with personnel drawn from active ships and submarine reserves, a complete crew structure will be gradually established along with sea testing, ship delivery and subsequent combat evaluation.

If Navy Team 256 welcomes the Haikun submarine, the subsequent seven domestically-made submarines will also be built in batches according to the "2+3+2" method. The Navy's underwater combat power will gradually transition from old submarines to a core combination of domestically-made submarines and upgraded Stegosaurus-class submarines. In the future, the size of the force may also be increased to the command headquarters.