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Tuo Chiang-class corvette

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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 features 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]

Class overview
NameTuo Chiang
BuildersLungteh Shipbuilding, Su-Ao, Yilan County, Taiwan
OperatorsTaiwan Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy
Preceded byChing Chiang-class patrol ship
SubclassesAnping-class offshore patrol vessel
CostNT$5.4 billion (US$188 million)[1]
Built2012–present
In commission2014–present
Planned12
Completed7
Active7
General characteristics
TypeCoastal corvette
Displacement567 tonnes full load,[2][3] 732 tonnes full load (improved hull)
Length60.4 m (198 ft 2 in) (Length on cushion), 65 m (213 ft 3 in) (improved hull)
Beam14 m (45 ft 11 in), 14.8 m (48 ft 7 in) (improved hull)
Draught2.3 m (7 ft 7 in), 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) (improved hull)
Propulsion
  • 2 × MTU 20V 4000 M93L diesel engine – rated at 4,300 kW (5,800 hp), 4 × MJP CSU 850 waterjet
  • 4 × MTU20V4000M93Ldiesel engine, 4 × MJP CSU 850 waterjet (improved hull)
Speed45 kn (83 km/h; 52 mph) (fully armed)
Complement41
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Navigational radar
  • CS/SPG-6N(S) surface search radar (Tuo Chiang)
  • CS/SPG-6N(T) fire control radar (Tuo Chiang)
  • CS/MPQ-90 Sea Bee Eye surface search and fire control AESA type radar (Ta Chiang onwards)
  • STIR 1.2 EO Mk2 fire control radar (Ta Chiang onwards)
  • Variable depth sonar (Tuo Chiang)
Electronic warfare
& decoys		12 counter-IR/RF chaff dispensers (6 bow and stern)[4]
Armament
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck,[4] primarily for VERTREP
PGG-619 delivery ceremony
Hsiung Feng III fired from ROCS Tuo Chiang
TC-2N fired from ROCS Ta Chiang

Development

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Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen aboard Tuo Chiang

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 the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis.[14]

The Ministry of National Defense prepared a budget of more than NT$16.395 billion in order to secure the follow-up mass production of three Tuojiang ships from 2017 to 2025. 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. 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.

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 2021 Ta Chiang completed the testing and evaluation of the TC-2N missile.[18]

Design

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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[19] and an indigenous search/track and fire-control radar and electro-optical director.[20][21][22][23]

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.[24]

Production

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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."[25] Ta Chiang has been positively received by military analysts.[26]

Lungteh launched the third Tuo Chiang-class corvette in February 2023.[27]

The fifth vessel, An Chiang (安江), was launched in October 2023. The An Chiang is named after Yilan's Annong River (安農溪).[28]

In March 2024, the final two corvettes from the initial batch of six ships ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding, PPG-625 An Chiang and PPG 626 Wan Chiang, were commissioned at Su'ao Harbor in Yilan.[29][30]

Ships of class

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 Hull number   Name   Builder   Launched   Commissioned   Status   Note 
Flight 0
PGG-618 Tuo Chiang (沱江艦) Lung Teh Shipyard, Su-Ao 14 March 2014 [31] 23 December 2014[32] Active Class prototype
Flight I
PGG-619 Ta Chiang (塔江艦) Lung Teh Shipyard, Su-Ao 15 December 2020 27 July 2021 [33] Active Improved hull of first ship
PGG-620 Fu Chiang (富江艦) 21 September 2022 [34] 28 June 2023 Active
PGG-621 Hsu Chiang (旭江艦) 16 February 2023 [27] 6 February 2024 Active
PGG-623 Wu Chiang (武江艦) 28 June 2023 [27] 1 March 2024 Active
PGG-625 An Chiang (安江艦) 16 October 2023 [28] 26 March 2024[35] Active
PGG-626 Wan Chiang (萬江艦) November 2023 26 March 2024[35] Active
Flight II
PGG-627 Lung Teh Shipyard, Su-Ao
PGG-628
PGG-629
PGG-630
PGG-632

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "'Carrier-killer' starts trials". Taipei Times. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  2. ^ LaGrone, Sam (24 December 2014). "Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of First Stealth 'Carrier Killer' Corvette". United States Naval Institute. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  3. ^ Wong, Kelvin (19 August 2015). "Taiwan highlights new features, further development for Tuo Jiang stealth corvette". IHS Jane's 360. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Taiwanese Navy showcases new 'killer' stealth warship". Fox News. 24 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Taiwan Launches Its Largest-Ever Missile Ship". Defense News. Agence France-Presse. 8 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Taiwan in stealth technology breakthrough: report". phys.org.
  8. ^ "Taiwan Navy Launches New Stealth Boat". 18 March 2019.
  9. ^ Devan Joseph. "The Taiwan Navy Just Unveiled A Stealth Missile Warship Dubbed The 'Carrier-Killer'". Business Insider. Associated Press.
  10. ^ "Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of First Stealth 'Carrier Killer' Corvette". 24 December 2014.
  11. ^ "'Stealth' frigate handed over to Taiwan's Navy". South China Morning Post. 23 December 2014.
  12. ^ a b Cole, J. Michael (12 April 2012). "'Carrier killer' program goes ahead". Taipei Times. Taipei. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Taiwan's first stealth missile corvette christened Tuo River". Want China Times. 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ ROC Navy to Build Three Air Defense Catamaran Corvettes based on Tuo River-class – Navyrecognition.com, 15 March 2016
  16. ^ Taiwan's NCSIST Successfully Tested a Ship-based Variant of Tien Kung III BMD Interceptor – Navyrecognition.com, 2 January 2017
  17. ^ hen Chi-feng and, William Yen (4 January 2019). "Construction works for 600+ tonne CGA ship starts in Kaohsiung". focustaiwan.tw. Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  18. ^ Chen, Kelvin (27 May 2021). "Taiwan Navy to deploy new air defense missile system in August". taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  19. ^ Minnick, Wendell (23 June 2016). "Taiwan Moves on $14.7B Indigenous Shipbuilding, Upgrade Projects". defensenews.com. Defense News. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  20. ^ "Taiwan shows images of carrier killer". UPI.com. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  21. ^ "Taiwan developing 'carrier killer' for navy: report". Spacewar.com. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "Missile Launchers, Vessels, UAVs Unveiled at TADTE". Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition. 17 August 2013. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  24. ^ Taiwan Navy Emphasizing Domestic Shipbuilding Program in Ongoing Maritime Restructure – News.USNI.org, 25 March 2016
  25. ^ Dominguez, Gabriel. "Taiwan launches first improved Tuo Chiang-class fast missile corvette". janes.com. Janes. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  26. ^ Chen, Kelvin (21 July 2021). "Military analyst praises Taiwan Navy's new corvette for its survivability". taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  27. ^ a b c Chen, Kelvin (16 February 2023). "Taiwan Navy launches third Tuo Chiang-class corvette". taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Navy launches fifth Tuo Chiang-class corvette". taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  29. ^ "Taiwan commissions 2 new navy ships as safeguards against rising threat from China". AP News. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  30. ^ Reporter, Micah McCartney China News (28 March 2024). "China's neighbor adds more "carrier killers" to navy". Newsweek. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  31. ^ "Taiwan launches first carrier killer stealth missile corvette". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014.
  32. ^ Pan, Jason (24 December 2014). "'Tuo Jiang' commissioned into service at Suao event". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ Strong, Matthew (1 October 2022). "Taiwan Navy to acquire 3rd guided missile corvette by end of year". Taiwan News. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Tsai inaugurates two navy corvettes - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
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