Tuo Chiang-class corvette

Development

The program was announced by the Republic of China (Taiwan) Ministry of National Defense (MND) on 12 April 2010. It was developed by the Naval Shipbuilding Center in Kaohsiung, The Tuo Chiang class was developed to address common weakness of traditional small warships such as patrol craft and corvettes not fit for extended periods of time in rough seas around Taiwan Island.

In 2011, the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan approved a NT$24.98 billion (US$853.4 million) budget to fund the construction of up to 12 ships. On 18 April 2011 a top military officer and a lawmaker announced that the construction of a 500-ton prototype would begin in 2012. In the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in 2013, the Navy unveiled a model of the Hsun Hai project corvette. The prototype of the Hsun Hai program was named and christened on Friday, 14 March 2014 as ROCS Tuo Chiang (PGG-618) in honor of the gunboat in the September 2 Sea Battle during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis.

The Ministry of National Defense prepared a budget of more than NT$16.395 billion in order to secure the follow-up mass production of three Tuojiang ships from 2017 to 2025. The mass production cost of the Tuojiang ship is 3.2 billion higher than that of the first prototype ship already in service, after deducting the hull. The Navy said that the prototype ship did not take into account the cost of missiles, and the mass-produced type was mainly used for combat readiness. The anti-aircraft missile is the standard configuration of the ship.

In early 2016, the ROC Navy began plans for procuring three air defense frigates. It has been speculated that these frigates would possibly be catamarans based on the Tuo River-class hull. Expected weapon systems include the naval variant of the Sky Bow III and the Sky Sword II firing from angled box launchers, as well as the Sea Oryx CIWS system. It will field a ballistic missile defense version of the Sky Bow III missile defense system to shoot down incoming enemy ballistic missiles.

In 2019 work commenced on the first of twelve 600+ ton coastal patrol vessels for the Coast Guard Administration, the Anping-class offshore patrol vessel, based on the Tuo Chiang-class corvette at the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company's Kaohsiung shipyard.

In 2021 Ta Chiang completed the testing and evaluation of the TC-2N missile.

Design

The ship is a wave-piercing catamaran design which is 60.4 m long, 14 m wide and carries a crew of 41. It is capable of a top speed of 40 knots and a range of 2000 nmi. It is armed with eight subsonic Hsiung Feng II and eight supersonic Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles launchers, a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System, and a 76 mm main gun. The ship can operate up to sea state 7 in waves up to 20 - high. Taiwan Security Analysis Center (TAISAC) stated that the ship features stealth technologies to minimize radar detection, a combat system that includes a distributed-architecture combat direction system known as "Taiwan Aegis" developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology and an indigenous search/track and fire-control radar and electro-optical director.

The ship increases its survivability in naval warfare by utilizing advanced stealth technology and low radar cross section (RCS), which makes it less detectable by radar and allows it to be obscured by background radar noise when operating closer to the coastline.

Production

In December 2020 the first of the improved Tuo Chiang-class corvettes, PGG-619 Ta Chiang, was launched in Yilan. 6 improved models are to be delivered by 2023. According to Janes the new models feature improvements in "weaponry, mission systems, and design." Ta Chiang has been positively received by military analysts.

Lungteh launched the third Tuo Chiang-class corvette in February 2023.

The fifth vessel, An Chiang (安江), was launched in October 2023. The An Chiang is named after Yilan's Annong River (安農溪).

In March 2024, the final two corvettes from the initial batch of six ships ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding, PPG-625 An Chiang and PPG 626 Wan Chiang, were commissioned at Su'ao Harbor in Yilan.

Production of the second batch began in 2024 with production expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Five ships are planned in the second batch. The first ship from the second batch, Dan Chiang (丹江, PGG-627), was launched in July 2025.

Ships of class

Gallery

File:ROCN PGG-618 model at RF5 20171022.jpg|Model of PGG-618 Tuo Chiang File:104年3月31日 馬英九總統出席海軍磐石、沱江軍艦成軍典禮暨國艦國造成果展示 - Flickr id 16366043734.jpg|Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou with dignitaries, officers, and crew at ''Tuo Chiang'''s commissioning ceremony File:104年3月31日 馬英九總統出席海軍磐石、沱江軍艦成軍典禮暨國艦國造成果展示 - Flickr id 16366043654.jpg|President Ma in an open top limousine at ''Tuo Chiang'''s commissioning ceremony File:沱江軍艦射擊雄風三型飛彈.jpg|Tuo Chiang firing a HF-3 File:沱江軍艦(PGG-618)實施「雄風三型反艦飛彈」實彈射擊，精準命中目標。.jpg|HF-3 launched by ROCN Tuo Chiang (PGG-618) File:總統視導沱江軍艦 (27351057142).jpg|Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen aboard Tuo Chiang File:09.09 總統主持「海軍塔江軍艦成軍暨快速布雷艇交艇典禮」.jpg|PGG-619 Ta Chiang delivery ceremony File:TC-2N missile fired from ROCS Ta Chiang.png|TC-2N fired from PGG-619 Ta Chiang File:03.26 總統主持「海軍高效能艦艇安江及萬江軍艦交艦典禮」 - 53611020077.jpg|PGG-625 An Chiang File:03.26 總統主持「海軍高效能艦艇安江及萬江軍艦交艦典禮」 - 53611891586.jpg|President Tsai reviewing ships of the class from an open humvee File:03.26 總統主持「海軍高效能艦艇安江及萬江軍艦交艦典禮」 - 53612231049.jpg|Four corvettes pierside File:07.13 總統勗勉海軍131艦隊-53852260622.jpg|HF-2, HF-3, and TC-2N aboard PGG-621 Hsu Chiang under review by President Lai Ching-te

References

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