The navy is expected to take delivery of the nation’s second domestically built Tuo Chiang-class corvette next month, a military source said yesterday.
The Tuo Chiang-class corvette is a fast, stealthy multipurpose warship designed and manufactured locally for the navy.
A prototype of the corvette named Tuo Chiang (PGG-618) was commissioned in 2015. The first complete Tuo Chiang-class corvette, the Ta Chiang, was launched in December 2020.
The Tuo Chiang-class corvette Fu Chiang is pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
The second corvette, the Fu Chiang, was launched in September last year, while the third, the Hsu Chiang, was launched in February.
The Fu Chiang is to be delivered to the navy some time next month, a military source said, adding that official training would be conducted on the corvette before it is commissioned to the armed forces.
The Tuo Chiang-class corvette has a maximum speed of 30 knots (55.6kph), a displacement of 685 tonnes and an operational range of 1,800 nautical miles (3,334km), the navy has said.
It was developed to address a common weakness of traditional small warships, such as patrol craft and corvettes: They are not fit for use over extended periods of time in the rough seas around Taiwan.
The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes are fitted with subsonic Hsiung Feng-II missiles, supersonic Hsiung Feng-III anti-ship missiles, a 76mm cannon and Tien Chien II air-defense missiles.
The Tuo Chiang is named after a former patrol vessel deployed in defense against Chinese warships in a Taiwan Strait sea battle in 1958.
The Fu Chiang and the Hsu Chiang are named after rivers in Hualien County and Keelung.
Their names were selected following a public vote.
Taiwan plans to build a total of 11 Tuo Chiang-class corvettes by the end of 2026.
Source: Taipei Times - 2023/05/30
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