KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan - Taiwan inducted the island's largest-ever missile ship into service on March 31 as President Ma Ying-jeou presided over the ceremony. The warship, Tuo Chiang (Tuo River), represents the prototype for what is expected to result in 11 ships of the line. It is the lead ship in the Hsun Hai ("Swift Sea") fast missile corvette "carrier killer" program. The new ships, referred to by some as future Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs), are intended to counter any future Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carrier groups operating in nearby waters.
The twin-hulled 500-ton corvette - built by local Lung Teh Shipbuilding - is armed with 16 Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles, a 76mm gun and Mark 46 torpedoes missiles and relies on stealth technology to reduce the reflection of radar waves. Production on the catamaran-like vessel began on November 5, 2012, and it was delivered to the Republic of China (ROC) Navy for testing on December 23, 2014.
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