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Move to build lighter frigates to counter PRC gray-zone threats: Navy

ROC Central News Agency

10/12/2022 03:41 PM

Taipei, Oct. 12 (CNA) The Navy's new plan to build two 2,000-tonne light frigates instead of one 4,500-tonne guided missile frigate is meant to better counter China's gray-zone threats in a more cost-effective way, a senior Naval official said Wednesday.

The light frigates will be equipped with Hsiung Feng-3 (HF-3) supersonic anti-ship missiles to serve as a deterrent to Chinese aircraft carriers, Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Chiang Cheng-kuo (蔣正國) told lawmakers.

Chiang made the statement during a legislative hearing to explain the Navy's decision to ditch the original program to build a larger missile frigate in favor of lighter ones.

Taiwan's military had initially budgeted NT$24.5 billion (US$768.8 million) from 2019 to 2026 to build the 4,500-tonne guided missile frigate, but it had since found that the larger vessel no longer addressed the Navy's current needs following multiple delays.

Its latest proposal is to build two light frigate prototypes; one anti-air, another anti-submarine, before the end of 2026. The proposal has to clear the Legislature's floor first.

During Wednesday's legislative hearing, Chiang said the decision was made for cost reasons because deploying a larger guided missile frigate to counter China's "gray-zone" threats would be too expensive.

The anti-air light frigate can be armed with the TC-2 mid-range air-defense missile, while the anti-reconnaissance one with HF-3 anti-submarine missiles, he said.

After completing the two prototypes, the Navy will continue to build similar light frigates to replace eight aging Knox-class frigates that have been in service in Taiwan since the 1990s, he said.

Gray-zone tactics are generally defined as coercive actions that do not meet the threshold of conventional warfare. It can refer to Chinese aircraft flying maneuvers not far from Taiwan or China's use of fishing fleets to stake out waters at sea.

(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)

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