Tuo Chiang-class corvette
Template:Short description Template:DMCA Script error: No such module "Infobox ship".
The Tuo Chiang-class corvette (Template:Zh) 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 minimize chance of detection.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Development
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.[8] 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.[citation needed]
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.[9] 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.[10]
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.[citation needed]
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 naval variant of the Sky Bow III and the Sky Sword II firing from angled box launchers, as well as the Sea Oryx CIWS system.[11] It will field a ballistic missile defense version of the Sky Bow III missile defense system to shoot down incoming enemy ballistic missiles.[12]
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.[13]
In 2021 Ta Chiang completed the testing and evaluation of the TC-2N missile.[14]
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.[8] The ship can operate up to sea state 7 in waves up to 20–30 ft (6.1–9.1 m) high.[15] 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[16] and an indigenous search/track and fire-control radar and electro-optical director.[17][18][19][20]
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.[21]
Production
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."[22] Ta Chiang has been positively received by military analysts.[23]
Lungteh launched the third Tuo Chiang-class corvette in February 2023.[24]
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).[25]
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.[26][27]
Production of the second batch began in 2024 with production expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Five ships are planned in the second batch.[28] The first ship from the second batch, Dan Chiang (丹江, PGG-627), was launched in July 2025.[29] Ships in the second batch are equipped with a Leonardo NA-30S Mk2 fire-control radar in place of the STIR 1.2 EO Mk2. [30]
Ships of class
| Hull number | Name | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Note |
| Flight 0 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PGG-618 | Tuo Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | Lung Teh Shipyard, Su-Ao | 14 March 2014 [31] | 23 December 2014[32] | Active | Class prototype |
| Flight I | ||||||
| PGG-619 | Ta Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | Lung Teh Shipyard, Su-Ao | 15 December 2020 | 27 July 2021 [33] | Active | Improved hull of first ship |
| PGG-620 | Fu Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | 21 September 2022 [34] | 28 June 2023 | Active | ||
| PGG-621 | Hsu Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | 16 February 2023 [24] | 6 February 2024 | Active | ||
| PGG-623 | Wu Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | 28 June 2023 [24] | 1 March 2024 | Active | ||
| PGG-625 | An Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | 16 October 2023 [25] | 26 March 2024[35] | Active | ||
| PGG-626 | Wan Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | November 2023 | 26 March 2024[35] | Active | ||
| Flight II | ||||||
| PGG-627 | Tan Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | Lung Teh Shipyard, Su-Ao | 2 July 2025 | 11 March 2026 | ||
| PGG-628 | Liu Chiang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | 7 August 2025 | ||||
| PGG-629 | ||||||
| PGG-630 | ||||||
| PGG-632 | ||||||
Gallery
-
Model of PGG-618 Tuo Chiang
-
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou with dignitaries, officers, and crew at Tuo Chiang's commissioning ceremony
-
President Ma in an open top limousine at Tuo Chiang's commissioning ceremony
-
Tuo Chiang firing a HF-3
-
HF-3 launched by ROCN Tuo Chiang (PGG-618)
-
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen aboard Tuo Chiang
-
PGG-619 Ta Chiang delivery ceremony
-
TC-2N fired from PGG-619 Ta Chiang
-
PGG-625 An Chiang
-
President Tsai reviewing ships of the class from an open humvee
-
Four corvettes pierside
See also
Equivalent modern corvettes
References
Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwanese Navy showcases new 'killer' stealth warship". Fox News. 24 March 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan Launches Its Largest-Ever Missile Ship". Defense News. Agence France-Presse. 8 August 2017.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan in stealth technology breakthrough: report". phys.org.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan Navy Launches New Stealth Boat". 18 March 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Devan Joseph. "The Taiwan Navy Just Unveiled A Stealth Missile Warship Dubbed The 'Carrier-Killer'". Business Insider. Associated Press.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of First Stealth 'Carrier Killer' Corvette". 24 December 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'Stealth' frigate handed over to Taiwan's Navy". South China Morning Post. 23 December 2014.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cole, J. Michael (12 April 2012). "'Carrier killer' program goes ahead". Taipei Times. Taipei. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."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.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."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 Script error: No such module "webarchive". – 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
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
defensenews31dec14was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Minnick, Wendell (23 June 2016). "Taiwan Moves on $14.7B Indigenous Shipbuilding, Upgrade Projects". defensenews.com. Defense News. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan shows images of carrier killer". UPI.com. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan developing 'carrier killer' for navy: report". Spacewar.com. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Minnick, Wendell (18 April 2010). "Taiwan Plans Stealthy 900-Ton Warships". Defensenews.com. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Missile Launchers, Vessels, UAVs Unveiled at TADTE". Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Taiwan Navy Emphasizing Domestic Shipbuilding Program in Ongoing Maritime Restructure – News.USNI.org, 25 March 2016
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dominguez, Gabriel. "Taiwan launches first improved Tuo Chiang-class fast missile corvette". janes.com. Janes. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chen, Kelvin (16 February 2023). "Taiwan Navy launches third Tuo Chiang-class corvette". taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Navy launches fifth Tuo Chiang-class corvette". taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan commissions 2 new navy ships as safeguards against rising threat from China". AP News. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Reporter, Micah McCartney China News (28 March 2024). "China's neighbor adds more "carrier killers" to navy". Newsweek. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chen, Kelvin. "Taiwan's 2nd batch of Tuo Chiang corvettes expected to be completed by 2026". taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Navy launches first of final batch of stealth ships". taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hsu, Tso-Juei (16 March 2026). "Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of the First Tuo Chiang-class Batch 2 Catamaran Corvette". Naval News. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan launches first carrier killer stealth missile corvette". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Pan, Jason (24 December 2014). "'Tuo Jiang' commissioned into service at Suao event". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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 中文(臺灣)). Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Strong, Matthew (1 October 2022). "Taiwan Navy to acquire 3rd guided missile corvette by end of year". Taiwan News. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Tsai inaugurates two navy corvettes - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
External links
Page Module:Side box/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Sister project/styles.css has no content.