TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first two of Taiwan’s planned light frigates will be built by October 2026 for a cost of NT$9.95 billion (US$312.05 million), CSBC Corporation general manager Han Yu-lin (韓育霖) said in a recent interview.

Speaking to the Liberty Times, Han said that the last domestically produced large surface combat vessels were the Cheng Kung-class frigates from over 30 years ago. The design process for the new light frigates has focused on ship layout, logistics, and maintenance, and is based on design trends of advanced navy ships from various countries.

Automation is the primary focus of the ship design, which means required personnel will be reduced, he added. 

CSBC Corporation won the bid for the project in May, and things are proceeding smoothly, Han said. One prototype will be outfitted for anti-ship, while the other will have anti-air capabilities, he said.

Admiral Chiang Cheng-kuo (蔣正國), former chief of the naval staff, said in the Legislative Yuan last November that the anti-ship light frigate will be armed with Hsiung Feng III anti-surface missiles, while the anti-air frigate will have Sky Sword II medium-range air defense missiles.

Meanwhile, military officials revealed last week that Taiwan’s domestically developed vertical missile launch system, the Hua Yang project, has passed operational tests and will be installed on Taiwan’s newer generation of Navy ships.