The navy is planning to purchase six to eight new fighting ships over the next 10 years to replace all the Knox-class frigates it had bought from the US, defense sources said yesterday.
The navy has yet to decide on the type of ship to be purchased, but it will have to be a medium-sized ship with a displacement of 2,000 tonnes. The new ships will be heavily armed with domestically-built Hsiung Feng-II missiles.
The new purchase plan, to be called "Kuang Hua No. 7," is based on a dead project named "Kuang Hua No. 5," which dates from the early 1990s when former chief of the general staff General Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) asked the navy to buy the French-made Lafayette-class frigates.
Retired Vice Admiral Lan Ning-li (蘭寧利), who had been the navy's deputy chief of staff, said the change of policy has meant that the navy has been unable to build a fighting force due to its "high-low mix" of ships.
"The navy initially planned to buy a medium-sized warship from South Korea as its `low' ship, but the sudden decision to buy the Lafayette forced us to abandon the plan," Lan said.
"Later, the navy proposed the idea of buying 2,000-tonne ships again under Kuang Hua No. 5. This plan was not carried out either," he said.
The Kuang Hua No. 5 plan, a continuation of the navy's original proposal to buy medium-sized ships from South Korea, has been shelved until now.
Recently there have been strong calls from within the navy to return to the plan of buying 2,000-tonne ships, since the service has been short of this type of ship for some time. They are useful for familiarizing naval officers with the operation of an entry-level warship before they take on posts on larger fighting ships.
The ships that are to be purchased in Kuang Hua No. 7 should be a platform for the Hsiung Feng-II anti-ship missiles, and would be responsible for taking out enemy ships from beyond visual range.
A naval official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no decision had been taken on whether the new ships will be bought from abroad or built locally.
"Whatever the origin, these ships will replace the eight Knox-class frigates. These two types of ships are quite different in size and their combat roles. Due to a shortage of manpower, we can not afford to keep old ships while buying new ones, and we will have to remove the Knox crews to the new ships," the official said.
"The purchase of 2,000-tonne ships is part of our 10-year arms buildup plan. We expect it to succeed," he said.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS