Tuo Chiang-class corvette
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Class overview | |
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Name | Tuo Chiang |
Builders | Lungteh Shipbuilding, Su-Ao, Yilan County, Taiwan |
Operators | ![]() |
Preceded by | Ching Chiang-class patrol ship |
Subclasses | Anping-class offshore patrol vessel |
Cost | NT$5.4 billion (US$188 million)[1] |
Built | 2012–present |
In commission | 2014–present |
Planned | 12 |
Completed | 3 |
Active | 2 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Coastal corvette |
Displacement | 567 tonnes full load,[2][3] 685 tonnes full load (improved hull) |
Length | 60.4 m (198 ft 2 in) (Length on cushion), 65 m (213 ft 3 in) (improved hull) |
Beam | 14 m (45 ft 11 in), 14.8 m (48 ft 7 in) (improved hull) |
Draught | 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in), 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) (improved hull) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 45 kn (83 km/h; 52 mph) (fully armed) |
Complement | 41 |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys | 12 counter-IR/RF chaff dispensers (6 bow and stern)[4] |
Armament |
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Aviation facilities | Flight deck,[4] primarily for VERTREP |
The Tuo Chiang-class corvette (Chinese: 沱江; lit. 'Tuo River') is a Taiwanese-designed class of fast (up to 45 knots, 83 km/h, 52 mph) and stealthy multi-mission corvettes built for the Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy. It is designed to counter the numerous and increasingly sophisticated People's Liberation Army Navy ships by utilizing hit-and-run tactics, and thus featured clean upper structure design with very few extrusions to reduce radar signature, pre-cooled engine exhaust to reduce infrared signature, and a reduced visual signature to reduce chance of detection.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Development
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/%E7%B8%BD%E7%B5%B1%E8%A6%96%E5%B0%8E%E6%B2%B1%E6%B1%9F%E8%BB%8D%E8%89%A6_%2827351057142%29.jpg/300px-%E7%B8%BD%E7%B5%B1%E8%A6%96%E5%B0%8E%E6%B2%B1%E6%B1%9F%E8%BB%8D%E8%89%A6_%2827351057142%29.jpg)
The program was announced by the Republic of China (Taiwan) Ministry of National Defense (MND) on 12 April 2010. It was developed by the Naval Shipbuilding Center in Kaohsiung,[12] The Tuo Chiang class was developed to address common weakness of traditional small warships such as patrol craft and corvettes not fit for extended periods of time in rough seas around Taiwan Island.
In 2011, the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan approved a NT$24.98 billion (US$853.4 million) budget to fund the construction of up to 12 ships.[13] On 18 April 2011 a top military officer and a lawmaker announced that the construction of a 500-ton prototype would begin in 2012. In the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in 2013, the Navy unveiled a model of the Hsun Hai project corvette. The prototype of the Hsun Hai program was named and christened on Friday, 14 March 2014 as ROCS Tuo Chiang (PGG-618) in honor of the gunboat in the September 2 Sea Battle during Second Taiwan Strait Crisis.[14] The Ministry of National Defense has prepared a budget of more than 16.395 billion yuan from next year to 2025 in order to secure the follow-up mass production of three Tuojiang ships. The mass production cost of the Tuojiang ship is 3.2 billion higher than that of the first prototype ship already in service, after deducting the hull. After the extra 500 million yuan in Taitai, the cost of the mass-produced type is more than 2.7 billion yuan more than that of the prototype ship. The Navy said that the prototype ship did not take into account the cost of missiles, and the mass-produced type was mainly used for combat readiness. The anti-aircraft missile is the standard configuration of the ship, and the cost is the calculated construction cost after being quoted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences
In early 2016, the ROC Navy began plans for procuring three air defense frigates. It has been speculated that these frigates would possibly be catamarans based on the Tuo River-class hull. Expected weapon systems include the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) equipped with a naval variant of the Sky Bow III and the Sky Sword II, as well as the Sea Oryx CIWS system.[15] It will field a ballistic missile defense version of the Sky Bow III missile defense system to shoot down incoming enemy ballistic missiles.[16]
In 2019 work commenced on the first of twelve 600+ ton coastal patrol vessels for the Coast Guard Administration, the Anping-class offshore patrol vessel, based on the Tuo Chiang-class corvette at the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company's Kaohsiung shipyard.[17]
In December 2020 the first of the improved Tuo Chiang-class corvettes, PGG-619 Ta Chiang, was launched in Yilan. 6 improved models are to be delivered by 2023. According to Janes the new models feature improvements in "weaponry, mission systems, and design."[18]
In 2021 Ta Chiang completed the testing and evaluation of the TC-2N missile.[19]
Ta Chiang has been positively received by military analysts.[20]
Design
The ship is a wave-piercing catamaran design which is 60.4 metres (198 ft) long, 14 metres (46 ft) wide and carries a crew of 41. It is capable of a top speed of 40 knots and a range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi). It is armed with eight subsonic Hsiung Feng II and eight supersonic Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles launchers, a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System, and a 76 mm (3 in) main gun.[12] The ship can operate up to sea state 7 in waves up to 20–30 ft (6.1–9.1 m) high.[4] Taiwan Security Analysis Center (TAISAC) stated that the ship features stealth technologies to minimize radar detection, a combat system that includes a distributed-architecture combat direction system known as "Taiwan Aegis" developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology[21] and an indigenous search/track and fire-control radar and electro-optical director.[22][23][24][25]
The ship increases its survivability in naval warfare by utilizing advanced stealth technology and low radar cross section (RCS), which makes it less detectable by radar and allows it to be obscured by background radar noise when operating closer to the coastline.[26]
Ships of class
Pennant Number | Name | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Note |
PGG-618 | Tuo Chiang (沱江艦) | Lung Teh Shipyard, Su-ao | 14 March 2014 [27] | 23 December 2014 [28] | Active | Class prototype |
PGG-619 | Ta Chiang (塔江艦) | 15 December 2020 | 27 July 2021[29] | Active | Improved hull of first ship | |
PGG-620 | Fu Chiang (富江艦) | 21 September 2022 | Launched |
See also
References
- ^ "'Carrier-killer' starts trials". Taipei Times. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ LaGrone, Sam (24 December 2014). "Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of First Stealth 'Carrier Killer' Corvette". United States Naval Institute. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Wong, Kelvin (19 August 2015). "Taiwan highlights new features, further development for Tuo Jiang stealth corvette". IHS Jane's 360. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d Minnick, Wendell (31 December 2014). "Taiwan Navy Accepts New Catamaran". Defensenews.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ "Taiwanese Navy showcases new 'killer' stealth warship". Fox News. 24 March 2015.
- ^ France-Presse, Agence (8 August 2017). "Taiwan Launches Its Largest-Ever Missile Ship". Defense News.
- ^ "Taiwan in stealth technology breakthrough: report". phys.org.
- ^ "Taiwan Navy Launches New Stealth Boat". 18 March 2019.
- ^ Press, Devan Joseph, Associated. "The Taiwan Navy Just Unveiled A Stealth Missile Warship Dubbed The 'Carrier-Killer'". Business Insider.
- ^ "Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of First Stealth 'Carrier Killer' Corvette". 24 December 2014.
- ^ "'Stealth' frigate handed over to Taiwan's Navy". South China Morning Post. 23 December 2014.
- ^ a b Cole, J. Michael (12 April 2012). "'Carrier killer' program goes ahead". Taipei Times. Taipei. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ "Taiwan's first stealth missile corvette christened Tuo River". Want China Times. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ "海軍沱江軍艦擲瓶下水 | 要聞 | 即時新聞 | 聯合新聞網". Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ ROC Navy to Build Three Air Defense Catamaran Corvettes based on Tuo River-class – Navyrecognition.com, 15 March 2016
- ^ Taiwan's NCSIST Successfully Tested a Ship-based Variant of Tien Kung III BMD Interceptor – Navyrecognition.com, 2 January 2017
- ^ hen Chi-feng and, William Yen. "Construction works for 600+ tonne CGA ship starts in Kaohsiung". focustaiwan.tw. Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ Dominguez, Gabriel. "Taiwan launches first improved Tuo Chiang-class fast missile corvette". www.janes.com. Janes. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Chen, Kelvin. "Taiwan Navy to deploy new air defense missile system in August". www.taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ Chen, Kelvin. "Military analyst praises Taiwan Navy's new corvette for its survivability". www.taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Minnick, Wendell. "Taiwan Moves on $14.7B Indigenous Shipbuilding, Upgrade Projects". www.defensenews.com. Defense News. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ "Taiwan shows images of carrier killer". UPI.com. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ "Taiwan developing 'carrier killer' for navy: report". Spacewar.com. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Minnick, Wendell (18 April 2010). "Taiwan Plans Stealthy 900-Ton Warships". Defensenews.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ "Missile Launchers, Vessels, UAVs Unveiled at TADTE". Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Taiwan Navy Emphasizing Domestic Shipbuilding Program in Ongoing Maritime Restructure – News.USNI.org, 25 March 2016
- ^ "Taiwan launches first carrier killer stealth missile corvette". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014.
- ^ Pan, Jason (24 December 2014). "'Tuo Jiang' commissioned into service at Suao event". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ 軍事新聞通訊社 (27 July 2021). 高效能艦艇後續艦首艦「塔江」交艦 海軍戰力邁向新里程碑. Military News Agency (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 27 July 2021.
External links
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