Navy launches 5th domestically made missile corvette
ROC Central News Agency
10/18/2023 09:44 PM
Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) The Navy held a launch ceremony on Monday in Yilan for its fifth domestically built Tuo Chiang-class corvette, officially christening it the An Chiang, a military source with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday.
The Navy will soon take delivery of the fifth homemade vessel after it is tested by Lungteh Shipbuilding Co., the source said, adding that the name of An Chiang was taken from Annong River in Yilan.
The An Chiang is a Tuo Chiang class corvette, a prototype of which, the PGG-618, was commissioned in 2015.
The first completed Tuo Chiang-class corvette, the Ta Chiang, was launched in December 2020.
The second Tuo Chiang-class ship, the Fu Chiang, was launched in September last year, while the third, the Hsu Chiang, was launched in February, and the fourth, the Wu Chiang, was launched in June.
The Navy is set to build a total of 11 Tuo Chiang-class corvettes by the end of 2026.
The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes are fitted with subsonic Hsiung Feng-II (HF-2) missiles, supersonic Hsiung Feng-III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles, a 76mm cannon and Sea Sword II carrier-based medium-range air defense missiles, giving them the ability to hit air and sea targets simultaneously.
Based on a recent Ministry of National Defense report presented to the Legislative Yuan, aside from the prototype, five of the Tuo Chiang-class corvettes will be fitted with eight subsonic HF-2 missiles and four supersonic HF-3 anti-ship missiles, while the other five warships will come with four HF-2s and eight HF-3s.
That configuration will help meet the operational needs of the Navy, the report said.
(By Matt Yu and Evelyn Kao)
Enditem/ASG
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