The first of the remaining five Tuo Chiang-class stealth missile corvettes being domestically built for the Taiwanese navy was officially launched in a ceremony presided over by navy commander Admiral Tang Hua in Taiwan, according to an anonymous military source, Report informs referring to Taipei Times.
The Dan Chiang (PGG-627) was launched in a ceremony that was closed to the press, with the newly constructed ship officially entering the water for the first time. The vessel was also christened, according to the source.
The corvette, named after the Danda River in central Nantou County, is expected to be delivered to the navy next year after further trials, the unnamed source added.
Tuo Chiang is a domestically designed and manufactured class of fast and stealthy multipurpose corvette built for the navy.
In addition to the prototype — the Tuo Chiang (PGG-618), which was commissioned in 2015 — the first batch consisting of six corvettes have all been delivered to the navy and entered service.
The Dan Chiang is the first of the second batch of five corvettes that are to be delivered to the navy, which would have 11 Tuo Chiang-class corvettes by the end of next year.
The Tuo Chiang-class corvette, which has a wave-piercing catamaran design, and is 60.4m long and 14m wide, has a top speed of 30 knots (55.6kph) and a range of 1,800 nautical miles (3,334km), the navy said.
The corvettes are fitted with subsonic Hsiung Feng II (Brave Wind II) missiles, supersonic Hsiung Feng III (Brave Wind III) anti-ship missiles, a 76mm cannon and Hai Chien II (Sea Sword II) ship-based medium-range air defense missiles, enabling it to hit air and sea targets simultaneously, according to the navy.