• Forum
• SITREP

• Military

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space
• Public Eye

Further Reading

Navy Modernization

The Taiwan Navy has over two dozen major surface combatants. In addition there are four submarines, about 100 patrol boats, 30 mine warfare ships, and 25 amphibious vessels. Despite the Navy's ability to refurbish and extend the service life of its vessels and equipment well beyond expectation, until recently a large portion of the fleet consists of obsolescent World War II-era ships. The Navy's modernization program is intended to replace its aging fleet of surface combatants with newer ships like the French-built Lafayette-class frigate and a domestically-produced variant of the U.S. Perry-class frigate. Taiwan is acquiring advanced antisubmarine warfare technology which will likely improve their ability to counter PLA submarines operating off the coast of Taiwan.

Taiwan's Kuang Hua [Glorious China] naval modernization consists of a number of separate projects:

• Kwang Hua Project I is the the building of the new generation Cheng Kung class frigates modeled on the US Perry-class frigate.
• Kwang Hua Project II includes the purchase of six Lafayette-class (Kang Ding-class) frigates from France, which is the centerpiece of the Kwang Hua-2 project for the construction of 16 ships.
• Kwang Hua Project III includes the 500-ton Jing Chiang class patrol boats.
• Kwang Hua Project IV includes the lease of eight Knox-class frigates.
• Kwang Hua Project V is the much delayed plan for the "secondary class warships of the second generation" to build several 1,500-2,000-ton patrol boats with stealth capability that will be a supplementary combat force for "primary class" warships. This program was cancelled, in favor of the Kwang Hua Project VII program.
• Kwang Hua Project VI includes 30 large 150-ton fast attack missile boats with stealth features.
• Kwang Hua Project VII is the plan for a "secondary class warships of the second generation" to build eight 2,000-ton patrol boats with stealth capability that will be a supplementary combat force for "primary class" warships.

Taiwan's naval modernization program includes the licensed-production of eight Perry-class (Cheng Kung-class) frigates; the purchase of six Lafayette-class (Kang Ting-class) frigates from France; and, the lease of eight Knox-class frigates from the United States. Both the Perry-class and Lafayette-class frigates are armed with indigenously- produced Hsiung Feng II ASCMs, while the Knox-class frigates are equipped with the U.S.-made Harpoon ASCM. Air defense weapons systems include the Standard air defense missile on board the Perry-class frigates and the Sea Chaparral on board the Lafayettes. The primary mission of these newer frigates is sea control, particularly the capability to protect the sea lanes beyond the range of coastal aircraft. The Navy also has more than a dozen older, World War II-era Gearing-class destroyers and numerous smaller combatants and auxiliaries in its operational inventory.

Taiwan's navy has recently completed the acquisition of a total of 21 Perry, Knox and La Fayette class frigates equiped with modern shipboard combat systems. This modernization program has provided Taiwan with its greatest advantage relative to China in recent memory, though this advantage will erode over the next decade as Chinese naval modernization plans are eventually fullfilled.

The ROC Navy has developed a second generation of missile frigates and missile patrol boats. The first domestically built missile frigate (FPG-2) was built and handed over to the ROC Navy in May 1993, with the expectation that one such frigate would be produced every 11 months from then on. Construction of the Navy's first missile patrol boat was to be completed by March 1996, with the rest finished by 2000.

The "Kuang Hua" program also includes the future acquisition of three types of smaller surface combatants: 12 Jin Chiang-class 580-ton guided missile patrol combatants; 10-14 1,500-2,000 ton corvettes; and, 50 fast attack missile boats (150-250 ton) to replace the aging fleet of Hai Ou-class boats currently in the inventory.

Approved by Congress after US diplomatic recognition was switched from Taiwan to Beijing, the Taiwan Relations Act obligates the United States to help meet Taiwan's defense needs. China -- which considers Taiwan a renegade province -- has consistently opposed the US sales. Every president since 1982 has made their decision about Taiwan's defense needs in the context of events in that year dealing with Taiwan.

Taiwanese authorities submitted a shopping list in 2001 that included top-of-the-line US destroyers of the "Arleigh Burke" class equipped with the "Aegis" radar system, which has missile defense applications. China contends such a sale would tip the military balance in the Taiwan strait. On 24 April 2001 it was announced that the Bush Administration had decided that the "Aegis" sale be deferred in favor of less sophisticated "Kidd" class destroyers. The administration also offered Taiwan P-3C submarine-hunting planes, and to make an effort to help the island acquire up to eight diesel submarines, which are no longer made in the United States. Bush also deferred a Taiwanese request for Apache helicopters and M-1 tanks.

• Each of the four Kidd-class destroyers are comparable in combat capability to the Sovremenny-class destroyers that China has acquired from Russia. Taiwan's acquisition of four such ships will almost certainly prompt China to complete the contemplated purchase of two additional Sovremenny-class destroyers, giving each country a total of four such ships.
• The new diesel submarines to be purchased by Taiwan are comparable in combat capability to the three nuclear-powered Han-class submarines built domestically by China or the four Kilo-class submarines China has purchased from Russia and probably surpass the capabilities of China's pair of domestically produced Song-class diesel submarines. Whether China would seek to offset this rough parity in modern submarines through additional construction or purchases from Russia is uncertain.

On April 19, 2004 a report in the Taipei Times indicated that the Taiwan military was considering a plan to buy decommissioned Spruance class destroyers from the United States to replace aging Knox class frigates. Reports indicate that Taiwan would have to buy about four ships to replace eight Knox ships. Nothing came of these discussions.

In August 2006 the US Senate took up a bill to allow the Bush administration to sell Taiwan two ships to augment its aging minesweeping fleet. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved and sent on to the full Senate a bill to authorize the sale of two Osprey-class minesweepers, the Oriole (MHC-55) and the Falcon (MHC-59). While the cost of the ships to be offered to Taiwan was not enumerated, the US Navy estimated that the bill, which would also include the sale of one minesweeper to Turkey and two amphibious dock ships to Mexico, would net US$84.5 million. The United States House of Representatives considered similar legislation in November 2007. H.R. 3912/S. 1565: The Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2007, would have transferred to TECRO (the Taiwan office in the United States) the OSPREYclass minehunter coastal ships ORIOLE (MHC-55) and FALCON (MHC-59). Neither bill was considered by its full respective body. Two Osprey-class coastal mine hunters were decommissioned 30 June 2006 in formal ceremonies at Naval Station Ingleside. USS Falcon (MHC 59) was decommissioned during a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. and then at noon, USS Oriole (MHC 55) held her decommissioning ceremony. Falcon and Oriole were the second pair of the 12 coastal mine hunters that have been decommissioned.

On 03 October 2008 the US Defense Department notified Congress that it had approved the sale of a US$6.46 billion package of weapons to Taiwan. The sales would cover some of the $12-billion package approved by President George W. Bush in 2001. That package was held up by debate in Taiwan's legislature. The US did not, however, approve diesel-electric submarines and Black Hawk helicopters that Taiwan had sought.