First production run of Taiwan’s domestically produced naval corvettes near completion｜Taiwan News

Описание: New progress has been reported on the production of stealthy corvettes being built for the Navy. The Tuo Chiang-class ships first went into operation in 2015, and production of the ships has been ramped up. The vessels are expected to strengthen Taiwan’s asymmetric combat capabilities in the event of conflict with China. The ship’s speed, stealthiness and firepower have earned it the moniker "killer of aircraft carriers," and the Navy says it will complement its existing ships to facilitate a multi-layered defense.

Domestically produced patrol ships, the Ta Chiang and the Tuo Chiang, were launched as prototypes along with a third vessel, the Fu Chiang, in 2014 and entered service with the Navy the following year. Reports say that the Tuo Chiang-class stealthy corvette that three ships represent has now gone into regular production, and that two more ships will be completed by the end of March.

The Tuo Chiang-class ship has a displacement of only 685 tons and a maximum speed of 40 knots – or, about 74 kilometers per hour. The vessel can be equipped with Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III medium-range supersonic missile systems, and the Hai Chien II anti-aircraft missile system. It is also equipped with 76mm naval gun turrets and phalanx fast guns, as well as various radar systems including the STIR and Sea Bee systems, among others. Defense officials say that these weapons and radar systems, combined with the ship’s stealth design, make it a formidable tool for defense and combat.

Su Tzu-yun
Institute for National Defense and Security Research
The ship’s combat systems are based on a combat training system developed by the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology to connect to the Bee Eye radar. This phased array radar has relatively good detection capabilities, and its visual range is about 60 kilometers. It can detect low-altitude cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, drones, and low-visibility targets.

Including the three prototypes, the military has plans for 12 of the corvettes to be built in total. Two of those 12 – the Hsu Chiang and Wu Chiang – have been handed over and are waiting to be put into commission, while two others – the An Chiang and Wan Chiang -- will be delivered by the end of March. Construction on the remaining five corvettes is expected to start in March, with plans for the ships to be handed over to the military as early as 2026.

Su Tzu-yun
Institute for National Defense and Security Research
The strategic design of the ships is clearly intended to deal with threats that could potentially emerge in 2027, so the pace of construction of the ships has also been hastened. With the advantages in speed and firepower these ships demonstrate, they can effectively supplement the air defense of the Navy’s first-class ships. In this way, the ships will help create comprehensive air defenses, while simultaneously exerting firepower through their anti-ship missile systems.

The defense expert says the military is preparing to meet a potential threat from China in 2027. Part of those preparations is to focus on asymmetric warfare capabilities that will allow Taiwan’s military to use smaller defense resources for larger gain.

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