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Home» News»Taiwan Launches First Improved Catamaran Corvette, Takes deliver of Minelayer
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improved Tuo Jiang-class fast missile corvette
Improved Tuo Jiang-class fast missile corvette

Taiwan Launches First Improved Catamaran Corvette, Takes deliver of Minelayer

Taiwanese shipbuilder Lung Teh Shipbuilding launched on 15 December the first improved Tuo Jiang-class fast missile corvette for the Republic of China (ROC) Navy. The same day, the first Min Jiang-class mine laying ship was delivered.

Nathan Gain 17 Dec 2020

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.

Proud to see #MadeInTaiwan ships set sail again, as we continue to make great progress.

Developing #Taiwan's indigenous defense industries is a top priority, so we’re upgrading our military capabilities through innovation to keep Taiwan's waters safe & protect our sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/RTCl9cuwkE

— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) December 15, 2020

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

The first of 11 missile-launching corvettes based on the Tuo Jiang design was delivered to the Coast Guard Administration on 11 December.

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).

ROC navy Taiwan 2020-12-17
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Authors

Posted by : Nathan Gain
Nathan is based in Namur, Belgium. He holds an MA in modern history with a minor in international relations from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL – Belgium). Fascinated by military history he naturally turned to the defense sector after graduating and is particularly interested in Northern European and Belgian defense issues as well as in anything related to naval aviation.

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