CHANGE: Taiwan unveils first domestically made submarine to help defend against possible Chinese attack.

“Even if there are risks, and no matter how many challenges there are, Taiwan must take this step and allow the self-reliant national defense policy to grow and flourish on our land,” Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said at the unveiling ceremony.

The diesel-electric submarine, called “Haikun,” cost $1.5 billion and still needs to undergo further tests before it’s deployed. It will be handed over to the Taiwanese navy in 2024, CBS News partner network BBC News reported.

It is the first of eight submarines Taiwan plans to build, according to the Reuters news agency, and will join two others that were purchased from the Netherlands in the 1980s.

The Haikun will carry U.S.-made Mark 48 heavyweight torpedoes and use a combat system manufactured by U.S. defense industry giant Lockhead [sic] Martin.

It ought to pack a punch.