(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The Taiwanese Navy has launched its fifth Tuo Chiang-class guided missile corvette, also known as “aircraft carrier killer”.
The fifth Tuo Chiang-class guided missile corvette, named “An Chiang,” was built by Lungteh Shipbuilding.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense has ordered a total of 11 Tuo Chiang-class guided missile corvettes, all of which are expected to be delivered by 2026, in response to the increasing military threat from China.
These guided missile corvettes are equipped with the “Sea Sword II” air defense system, the anti-ship guided missiles “Hsiung Feng III” and “Hsiung Feng II,” which earned them the moniker “aircraft carrier killer”.
In addition, the Tuo Chiang-class corvettes are also armed with 76mm guns.
The first Tuo Chiang-class corvette was launched in 2020. The “Hsiung Feng III” guided missile is designed to attack both land and sea targets.
When combined with the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Hsiung Feng guided missile can adjust its flight path to avoid interception and achieve a very high level of accuracy (circular error probable – CEP – of only 15 meters).
The guided missile system, developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, uses solid-fuel boosters and liquid-fuel turbojet engines.
Developed in the early 2000s, the Hsiung Feng guided missile provides Taiwan with the capability to conduct naval attacks and accurately target distant locations within its neighboring waters.
Taiwan has also developed a cruise missile variant called “Hsiung Feng IIIE,” similar to the U.S. “Tomahawk” missile.
With an effective range of over 600 kilometers, it is capable of targeting major Chinese cities that serve as economic hubs for Beijing, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.
The Hsiung Feng IIIE cruise missile can also target the Three Gorges Dam.
The initial variant of the guided missile had a range of 600 kilometers, but Taiwan’s military, in cooperation with its research institute, developed other variants that extend the range to 1,200 kilometers.
Local Taiwanese media claim that the 1,200-kilometer variant of the Hsiung Feng IIIE began development in 2018, with an initial production of 100 missiles valued at US$400 million (RM1.6 billion).
Apart from major cities, the primary targets of Taiwan’s cruise missiles are Chinese military facilities, including radar installations, electronic systems, air bases, and the land and naval forces used by Beijing in the event of armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait. — DSA
DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA APPS
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