In its bid to build a more robust indigenous defense capability against mainland China’s growing military threats, on Thursday Taiwan commissioned the first of a new batch of domestically manufactured warships designed specifically to be ‘carrier-killers.’ The fast corvette warships are equipped with stealth technology and a lower profile for a reduced radar signature.
According to Newsweek, it is also “the first warship in the Taiwanese navy to carry ship-launched variants of [National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology] NCSIST’s Sea Sword II anti-air missile. It is armed with subsonic and supersonic anti-aircraft and anti-surface weapons, including torpedos as well as Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III missiles.”
#Taiwan Navy’s ‘carrier-killer’ generating attention & debate http://t.co/z3jwXliKAh & http://t.co/9LaBzVuGvz #ausdef pic.twitter.com/IYylbwutAT
— Danielle Cave (@DaniellesCave) January 13, 2015
The Tuo Chiang-class corvette ROCS Ta Chiang entered service at a commissioning ceremony attended by President Tsai Ing-wen and other military officials at the Su’ao naval base in Taiwan’s eastern Yilan County. The Ta Chiang is the first of a total of 11 Tuo Chiang-class corvettes to be built by Taiwan’s Lungteh Shipbuilding, six of which are to be delivered by 2023.
Lungteh is also making two additional fast minelaying vessels.
Newsweek added that the “agile, catamaran-style warship with a maximum displacement of 685 tons was made by Taiwanese company Lungteh Shipbuilding. The vessel’s armaments were developed and fitted by state defense researcher…(NCSIST).”
The construction of the Tuo Chiang-class corvettes is part of Taiwan’s overall defense strategy to increase its asymmetric warfare capabilities against the quantitative advantages of China‘s People’s Liberation Army. This involves manufacturing—and purchasing from abroad—precise and highly maneuverable weaponry that will be able to effectively defend the democratic island against an attempted invasion.
According to Newsweek, Tsai said, “This is an achievement worthy of recognition,” adding that Taiwan had demonstrated its capacity for building up its own “defense autonomy” to complement arms purchases from the United States. ADN
Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Defense News. A defense and national security expert, he served as a Marine Corps officer and as a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at US embassies worldwide. Paul holds degrees from Georgetown, London, and Cambridge Universities. He is also CEO of SPECTRE Global Risk, a security advisory firm, and President of the Center for American Defense Studies, a national security think tank. - paulcrespo.substack.com - PAULCRESPO.COM
Good for them
May Taiwan be blessed with mighty victories if ever attacked.
They’ll need all the prayers they can get ’cause the US sure as heck WILL NOT be there to help them – the idiot in the white house is just following ideology set forth by billy-bob, and the communistmuslime that occupied the white house for 8 years in NOT recognizing Taiwan as a separate country and refusing to send them arms/munitions to protect themselves.
Oh I love it, This is why we need to defend Taiwan at all costs. China tries to bully everyone, until they join forces with others, and then they are not so tuff. Starting WW111 would be no benefit to china, if they want to survive to be the world power, which won’t happenwhen Trump is back.
If the Red Chinese think they are going to be a pushover this will tell them they’re not. Remember, Hitler also thought attacking the English over the Channel would be a snap for the Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht.
biden will help, just like he helped the Cubans, you will get no help from biden, china joe is in love with china, remember he and hunter received billion and half dollars from the chinese for what? don’t expect them the biden’s for help,should have keep the US bases open. Look how biden has treated our Allies so far…….
The CCP got their foot in the door to Afghanisan’s minerals & access to our designs, first-hand, as they join with the Taliban; all courtesy of Joe Burisma
And Taiwan-tech is demonstrably better than CCP-tech…they actually “do” the science & research, required❗️
Will said ship visit the US too?
We should have moved all of our military equipment from Afghanistan and given it to Tiawan, even as China moved in so fast to capture the mineral wealth of Afghanistan. Good payback.
Tiawhan has always been a ship building Nation in Kaushung they have always also been a thorn in Communist China.
Now if only the Biden Socialist Regime will stand behind Taiwan instead of running out on them like they did in Affghanistain.