The Republic of China Navy’s next-generation frigates are likely to be equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) as well as other weapons, a Ministry of Defense official said.
The combat systems designed by Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology for the frigates are to be the equivalent of and be interoperable with Aegis combat system-equipped US warships, said the ministry official, who wished to remain anonymous.
The navy plans to build six to 10 of the frigates.
Photo: Lo Tien-bin, Taipei Times
Unless the bulk of the AESA radar is reduced by redesigns, the system’s installation on the frigates would increase each vessel’s total displacement from 4,000 tonnes to between 4,500 tonnes and 5,200 tonnes, the official said.
The likely changes to the ship class’ specifications would increase its projected hull length and width from 135m and 15m to 138m and 16.5m respectively, the official said.
Frigate specifications are subject to alterations according to the needs of the navy and the specifications of the equipment designed by the Chungshan Institute, so they will not be completed until late next year, the official said.
The official, who is familiar with the design and procurement process, said the frigate design and purchase plans are divided into phases.
This year and next year the military is to draw up the frigates’ design specs and contract with a projected budget of NT$49.29 million (US$1.64 million), the official said.
A prototype is to be constructed between 2019 and 2021, and its budget is to be determined by the costs of the ship’s detection system and armaments.
After field trials of the prototype, the specifications will be fine-tuned before production starts on the rest of the frigates.
The navy held a conference in Kaohsiung with potential contractors to discuss specification changes, the official said.
As the navy finalizes designs and specifications, two or three more conferences will be held this year to announce them, he said.
Sources have previously said that the navy wants the next-generation frigates to have powerful anti-aircraft and anti-ship capabilities, and they are to be equipped with AESA radars with an effective range of 300km.
The frigates are to be armed with vertical-launch systems capable of firing Tien Kung III anti-aircraft missiles and Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles and 76mm guns.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Defense experts have warned that the ‘Shandong,’ China’s second largest aircraft carrier, poses a serious threat to eastern Taiwan’s defenses The drills conducted by the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong in the Western Pacific last week were more aimed at showcasing China’s military capabilities to the US rather than toward Taiwan, a Taiwanese defense expert said yesterday. Lin Yin-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said the drills which involved dozens of warplanes sought to test China’s anti-access and area denial capabilities should the US and its allies attempt to interfere in a cross-strait conflict. Lin said that the latest Chinese drills coincided with a joint maritime exercise conducted by the US, South Korea
Thousands of bottles of Sriracha have been returned or destroyed after the discovery of excessive sulfur dioxide, a bleaching agent, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday. About 12,600 bottles totaling 9,991.8kg of the hot sauce imported from the US by Emporium Corp (河洛企業) were flagged at the border for containing illegal levels of sulfur dioxide, the FDA said in its regular border inspection announcement. Inspectors discovered 0.5g per kilogram of the common bleaching agent and preservative, higher than the 0.03g permitted, it said. As it is the first time within six months the product has been flagged, Sriracha products from
Two people were killed and another nine injured yesterday after being stung by hornets while hiking in New Taipei City’s Rueifang District (瑞芳), with officials warning against wearing perfume or straying from trails during the autumn to avoid the potentially deadly creatures. Seven of the hikers only sustained minor injuries after being stung along the Bafenliao Hiking Trail (八分寮) and made their way down the mountain with a guide, the New Taipei City Fire Department said. Four of them — all male — sustained more serious injuries and were assisted when leaving the mountain, the department said. Two of them, a man surnamed
CHANGES: While NCCU opened the nation’s first co-ed dorm in Mucha, a recent survey showed that Taiwanese are in favor of abolishing gender segregation at high schools National Chengchi University (NCCU) has opened a co-ed dormitory, a first in Taiwan among state-funded Taiwan universities. The 22 duplexes are at the renovated “Huanan New Village,” in Taipei City’s Mucha (木柵) area, near the NCCU campus, a school official said yesterday. Twenty-two out of 37 group applications were selected in a lottery draw to select who would be chosen to live in the units, which can either be shared by up to eight students if the unit has four bedrooms, or up to 10 students if it is a five-bedroom unit, officials said. Completed in 1964 for campus staff housing,
RSS