TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first of the Taiwanese Navy’s Tuo Chiang-class guided missile corvettes, nicknamed the "aircraft carrier killer" will be launched in Yilan on Monday (Dec. 14).
Following the launch of the Coast Guard’s first Anping-class patrol ship (a modified version of the Tuo Chiang) last Friday (Dec. 11), President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Defense Minister Yen Te-fa (嚴德發), and Navy Commander General Liu Chih-pin (劉志斌) will attend the launching ceremony for the first Tuo Chiang-class ship six years after its prototype.
According to the Navy, the corvette has a maximum speed of 30 knots, a displacement of about 685 tons, and a maximum operational range of 1,800 miles. The ship’s arsenal includes Sea Sword II missiles, Hsiung Feng II and III anti-ship missiles, a 76-mm cannon, a Phalanx close-in weapons system (CIWS), and a T-74 machine gun, CNA reported.
It is also equipped with a surface search radar and fire control radar, and its electronic warfare suite features an early warning system and electronic countermeasures for incoming missiles. This new model is much larger than the prototype and carries more weapons and equipment.
The Taiwanese government in recent years has made a significant effort to produce naval ships and other military hardware domestically.
