A military source on Friday confirmed plans for the production of an upgraded version of the navy’s Tuo Chiang-class stealth corvette that is to incorporate expanded anti-aircraft capabilities.
The new vessel type is to be longer, wider and equipped with 3D radar systems and a ship-to-air version of the Tien Chien II (“Sky Sword”) guided missile system.
A total of 11 vessels are to be produced in three lots, for a total of 12 ships including the original Tuo Chiang-class corvette, the source said.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
The navy plans to begin operating three of the new vessels and make design adjustments where needed before commissioning the subsequent two lots, the source said, adding that the first lot is scheduled to be completed by 2025 at a cost of NT$14.434 billion (US$471.68 million).
Navy contractors are to submit final designs by the end of this month, when final bidding for the contract is also to take place, the source said.
The displacement of the upgraded vessels is to increase by about 100 tonnes from the current model’s 567 tonnes. They are also being designed to reach a maximum speed of more than 30 knots (55.56kph), the source said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The class’ length is to be increased from 60.4m to 65m, while width is to increase from 14m to 15m and draft is to increase from 2.3m to 3m, the source said.
The size increases would result in ships of the upgraded class being able to carry more personnel, from the original vessel’s 41 crew to 53, with sleeping quarters to be adjusted to accommodate the additional personnel, the source said.
The decision to upgrade the Tuo Chiang-class corvette was based primarily on a need to improve its anti-aircraft capabilities, the source said, adding that the Tien Chien II missile and 3D radar systems would complement the current model’s Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III (“Brave Wind”) anti-ship missiles.
“The Hsiung Feng and Tien Chien missile systems can be combined in whatever configuration the mission calls for,” the source added.
The biggest visible change would be to the radar mast, which is to be larger on the upgraded vessels due to the 3D radar system, the source said.
The bridge on the new vessels would be larger than the original’s, with a closed tower-style mast containing the radar system fitted above, the source added.
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
Taiwan must invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to keep abreast of the next technological leap toward automation, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at the luanch ceremony of Taiwan AI and Robots Alliance yesterday. The world is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution centered on AI and robotics, which would likely lead to a thorough transformation of human society, she told an event marking the establishment of a national AI and robotics alliance in Taipei. The arrival of the next industrial revolution could be a matter of years, she said. The pace of automation in the global economy can
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature. Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures. In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass,