TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The naming and launch ceremony for the first of a second batch of Tuo Chiang-class corvettes dubbed “carrier killers” took place Wednesday.

The Navy has already received the first group of six ships, made in Taiwan by Lungteh Shipbuilding in Yilan. The first of a second group of five Tuo Chiang-class corvettes was launched and received the name Tan Chiang, after a river in Nantou, per CNA.

The new ship left the yard in February to be fitted with weapons systems. The Navy was expected to take delivery next year, followed by training programs for the crew.

The corvettes are set to be equipped with a 76 mm naval gun, a Phalanx Close-in Weapon System against incoming missiles, four Hsiung Feng II and eight Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles, and Sea Sword II anti-air missiles. Stealth elements make the ships harder to track.

The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes form a key element of Taiwan’s policy to produce more weapons systems inside the country in the face of increased Chinese threats.