Ta Jiang (619) has a displacement of around 700 tonnes and a maximum speed of 45 knots thanks to her catamaran design. She is specifically designed to operate in shallow or coastal waters, where bigger ships such as frigates can’t sail.
Ta Jiang weapon systems include Hsiung Feng (Brave Wind) II and III anti-ship missiles and Hai Chien (Sea Sword) II anti-aircraft missiles developed by the government-funded Chung-Shan institute. The corvette also receives a 76 mm naval gun and a Phalanx CIWS.
Compared to the existing “Tuo Chiang-class stealth missile corvette, military engineers have further refined the performance and arsenal of the highly-praised first generation of ships” Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said during the ceremony. Note that the bridge area on the improved version is quite different: It is much larger and features more windows.
On December 4, 2018, Taiwanese media confirmed that Lung Teh Shipbuilding won the tender to build 11 Tuo Jiang II class improved corvettes and four Min Jiang class minesweepers. Taiwanese media dubbed the catamaran corvettes “aircraft carrier killers,” referring to the growing PLA Navy fleet. The first three catamaran corvettes are due to join the ROC Navy by 2022. T.
The ship’s name, the “Ta Chiang” (塔江), contains a reference to the Tawa River (塔瓦溪) in Taitung County, which forms the ancestral hunting grounds of the aboriginal Paiwan people, while also alluding to the vessel’s symbolic role as a “tower” (塔) on the front line of the nation’s defense, the Navy said.
About Min Jiang-class mine laying ship
According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, four mine laying ships are on order for the ROC Navy. They will greatly enhance Taiwan’s offensive mine fighting capacity and effectively counter the threat of the PLA Navy.
During the keel laying ceremony of the first-in-class ship, Taiwanese defense officials were quoted saying: “the mine layer ships were designed to face down an attack by amphibious vehicles trying to land in Taiwan, and would be equipped with a more precise automatic mine laying system”.
According to Lungteh Shipbuilding, the vessels have a length of 41 meters, a width of 8.8 meters, a draft of 1.7 meters and a full load displacement of 347 tons. The maximum speed is 14 knots.
In addition to the sea mines (carrying capacity is unknown) the vessel is fitted with a 20mm T75 gun mount (as main gun) and two T74 machine guns (manned 7.62×51 mounts).
The vessel comes with an automatic mine-laying system and propulsion equipment that allows it to lay mines rapidly and with high accuracy.
Anping-class Coast Guard Catamaran Patrol Vessel
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Administration, took possession of a similar missile-launching corvette on 11 December.
The catamaran vessel was built in Kaohsiung by the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Group. Named Anping, the missile launching corvette is a modified version of the Tuo Jiang class corvette. The new vessel Anping (CG-601) is the first of 12 locally designed and built 600-ton class catamaran patrol vessel. It is fitted with high-pressure water cannon, and there is space (fitted for but not with) for converting the patrol vessel into a full fledged missile corvette armed with Hsiung Feng II and/or Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles. The conversion could be made rapidly, if needed, during wartime. Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) (雄風二型, “Brave Wind II”) is a subsonic anti-ship missile with a range of 160 km (250 km for the block II variant). Hsiung Feng III (HF-3; 雄風三型, “Brave Wind III”) is a supersonic anti-ship missile (with some land attack capability) with a range of 200 km (400 km for a future enhanced variant).
