A backlog of costly arms acquisitions by Taiwan could be forcing the navy to cut back on requests for frigates from the US, which threatens to exacerbate the widening tonnage gap in the Taiwan Strait as the nation decommissions ageing vessels.
Citing a Taiwanese defense industry source, Defense News said in a report published this week that the navy could request two — rather than four, as initially planned — decommissioned long-hull Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates as excess defense articles (EDA) from the US.
The article said the plan to acquire the four frigates was cancelled late last year because of cost and technical considerations, adding that the military was struggling to pay for roughly US$18 billion in weapons released by the US in the past four years.
Photo: Jimmy Chuang, Taipei Times
Although China Shipbuilding Corp (中船) is capable of building Perry-class frigates — it has built eight so far, known locally as Cheng Kung-class — the source told Defense News that acquisitions from the US would be the quickest and least costly way to add the much-needed vessels to the navy. Building them would cost upwards of US$2 billion, the source said, much higher than the “near-scrap” price under EDA, even when refurbishment and upgrade costs are added.
The Ministry of National Defense denied there were plans to request fewer frigates from the US because of budgetary considerations and added it was in negotiations to ensure the acquisition were fully operational rather than semi-complete or empty shells.
Still, the navy will be forced to decommission aging frigates in the coming years. Its eight 3,800-tonne Knox-class frigates, acquired from the US in the 1990s after nearly 20 years of service in the US Navy, are due for replacement, but so far such plans appear to have stalled.
If replacements are not found, the navy will be down to 18 vessels with more than 3,800-tonne displacement — four Kidd-class destroyers, eight Perry-class frigates and six La Fayette-class frigates — Defense News said. This would continue a downward trend in tonnage for the navy, which went from 43 destroyers and frigates above 3,000 tonnes during the 1996 Missile Crisis, 39 in 2000 and 18 after the Knox-class frigates are taken out of service.
Plans to produce smaller vessels in the 2,000-tonne range also appear to have been cancelled due to budget problems.
Since Taiwan’s acquisition of the Knox-class frigates, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has commissioned a number of heavy-class destroyers and frigates, both Russian-made or domestically produced. According to Jane’s Fighting Ships 2011-2012, by next year, the PLAN could have at least 28 destroyers and frigates with displacement of more than 3,000 tonnes, with possibly more in production.
While not all of the PLAN’s combat vessels are intended for a Taiwan contingency, the balance of power at sea in the Taiwan Strait continues to shift in China’s favor, especially if no way is found to replace vessels that are due for decommissioning.
Some navy analysts, including James Holmes of the US Naval War College, have argued that rather than embark on a tonne-for-tonne race with China, Taiwan should focus its efforts and finite budgets on developing fast-attack craft such as the 170-tonne Kuang Hua VI missile boat.
So far, 31 KH-6s, divided in three squadrons, have entered service.
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
Taiwan’s drone exports surged past US$100 million in the first quarter, exceeding last year’s full-year total, with the Czech Republic emerging as the largest buyer, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Exports of complete drones reached US$115.85 million in the period, about 1.2 times the total recorded for all of last year, the ministry said in a report. Exports to the Czech Republic accounted for about US$100 million, far outpacing other markets. Poland, last year’s top destination, recorded about US$11.75 million in the first quarter. Taiwan’s drone exports have expanded rapidly in the past few years, with last year’s total
RSS