The Republic of China (ROC) Navy has put a stop to trial runs of the new missile-carrying Tuo Jiang-class 618 stealth corvette due to serious design flaws that have undermined the vessel’s operations, senior navy commander Lu Li-shih (呂禮詩) told the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) on Wednesday.
Lu said that several fundamentals flaws in the corvette’s design, along with it being packed with extra weapons and equipment systems, resulted in the vessel having insufficient buoyancy, which affected its maneuverability and stability.
Lu is a former captain of a Jin Jiang-class patrol vessel, which are similar to the 618.
“The core design concept was to build a stealth fast-attack corvette with high maneuverability,” Lu said. “However, later on the design was altered in a bid to make the Tuo Jiang-class ‘invincible warships,’ loading it with anti-aircraft and anti-ship weaponry, along with submarine-hunting and other combat functions.”
“It was like changing the design for a dress while a lady was already wearing it,” he said.
In addition to 16 Hsiung Feng-class missiles and two torpedo launchers onboard, the navy reportedly also has plans for the 618 to carry Sky Sword 2 guided missiles.
However, even without being fully loaded with fuel, equipment and weapons systems, the vessel had already reached its maximum displacement in calm water conditions in the harbor, Lu said.
“It is vital to have a patrol warship that can carry out missions in strong winds and high seas that can arise around Taiwan,” the commander said. “We must ensure the safety of all officers and sailors aboard the ship; that is the most serious challenge.”
Meanwhile, the Navy Command Headquarters said in a statement that the 618 is the first of its class and as a “prototype,” it was being tested to determine its capabilities and limitations.
“The Tuo Jiang class is a different design from traditional warships,” the statement said. “It is designed to be able to counter various threats using modular weapons systems, therefore its payload can vary depending on the situation.”
“Therefore the views are due to a misunderstanding regarding the vessel’s design concept and its operational objectives,” it said.
As the 618 is a prototype, handed over to the navy in December last year, the purpose of testing is to check the corvette’s performance and its limitations, while testing operational variables and deviations from its original design, the statement said.
Any issues that arise can then be corrected and plans reconfigured for subsequent production of more Tuo Jiang-class vessels, it added.
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
The government yesterday donated US$200,000 to the Philippines to support post-earthquake relief and recovery efforts, following a powerful magnitude 6.9 quake that struck Cebu Province late last month, killing at least 72 people and injuring 559 others. The donation was presented earlier yesterday by Representative to the Philippines Wallace Chow (周民淦) to Cherbett Maralit, deputy resident representative of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, at Taiwan’s representative office in Manila. In his remarks, Chow expressed concern for those affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck the central Philippines on the night of Sept. 30. "We sincerely hope for the earliest possible
RSS