Taiwan's upgraded Tuo Chiang-class corvette, "Ta Chiang", started sea trial on May 3.
On March 9, 2021, a Taiwanese military magazine reported that a 76mm gun and 3D radar system are installed to the second Tuo Chiang-class corvette, Ta Chiang.
On April 21, an independent journalist based in Yilan, (where the shipbuilder Lungteh Shipbuilding is located) reported that Ta Chiang came out from the shipyard, and a STIR (Signal Tracking and Illumination Radar) fire control radar was installed in the top of the bridge of the ship.
On May 3, Ta Chiang was spotted conducting sea trial for the first time by the Taiwanese military magazine and the independent journalist. According to the reports, a captain of a local fishing ship operating near the water where Ta Chiang conducted trial on the day, said that the warship sailed at an extremely high speed: “It looked like a car moving at 120kms/h speed on the land if you watch it at a near distance”.
According to Lungteh Shipbuilding, The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes have a length of 60.4 meters, displacement of 685 tons, a range of 1,800 nautical miles, and a maximum speed of 43 knots.
Tuo Chiang-class catamaran corvette follow ups
As the first upgraded and modified unit of the Tuo Chang-class corvette, Ta Chiang had her keel laid on May 24, 2019. and was launched and named on December 15, 2020.
The follow-ups ships in the class were planned to come in two variants, air-defense (anti-air warfare – AAW) and anti-ship (anti-surface warfare – ASuW). According to ROC Navy officials, the three ships of the first batch will put a great emphasis on air-defense capability, and will be equipped with the TC-2N surface to air missile (SAM) developed by local company NCSIST.
The three ships of second batch will be anti-ship version fitted with subsonic Hsiung Feng-II and supersonic Hisung Feng-III anti-ship missiles, emphasizing countering China’s surface ships.
However, on December 2018, a governing DPP’s legislator of foreign affairs and defense committee of Taiwan’s parliament said that the 11 follow-ups of Tuo Chinag will come in a single variant: There will be no distinction between AAW and ASuW versions. The anti-submarine capability (ASW) will also be removed. The project of building all 11 ships is scheduled to finish in 2026.
Coast Guard variant of Tuo Chiang class
The Tuo Chiang-class have a Coast Guard variant known as the Anping-class. The Taiwan Coast Guard’s Anping-class patrol vessel is based on the upgraded and modified model of Tuo Chang-class corvette. They are fitted with 2.75-inch rockets, 20mm gun and remote weapons station. Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, Stinger SAMs and up to 16 Hsiung Feng-II and Hisung Feng-III anti-ship missiles can be fitted to Anping-class ships during wartime.
The Taiwan Coast Guard planned to build 15 Anping-class patrol vessels from 2018, with the final ship expected to be delivered in 2026.
To learn more about the Anping-class check out this link:
