The navy is planning to purchase six to eight new fighting ships over the next 10 years to replace all the Knox-class frigates it had bought from the US, defense sources said yesterday.
The navy has yet to decide on the type of ship to be purchased, but it will have to be a medium-sized ship with a displacement of 2,000 tonnes. The new ships will be heavily armed with domestically-built Hsiung Feng-II missiles.
The new purchase plan, to be called "Kuang Hua No. 7," is based on a dead project named "Kuang Hua No. 5," which dates from the early 1990s when former chief of the general staff General Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) asked the navy to buy the French-made Lafayette-class frigates.
Retired Vice Admiral Lan Ning-li (蘭寧利), who had been the navy's deputy chief of staff, said the change of policy has meant that the navy has been unable to build a fighting force due to its "high-low mix" of ships.
"The navy initially planned to buy a medium-sized warship from South Korea as its `low' ship, but the sudden decision to buy the Lafayette forced us to abandon the plan," Lan said.
"Later, the navy proposed the idea of buying 2,000-tonne ships again under Kuang Hua No. 5. This plan was not carried out either," he said.
The Kuang Hua No. 5 plan, a continuation of the navy's original proposal to buy medium-sized ships from South Korea, has been shelved until now.
Recently there have been strong calls from within the navy to return to the plan of buying 2,000-tonne ships, since the service has been short of this type of ship for some time. They are useful for familiarizing naval officers with the operation of an entry-level warship before they take on posts on larger fighting ships.
The ships that are to be purchased in Kuang Hua No. 7 should be a platform for the Hsiung Feng-II anti-ship missiles, and would be responsible for taking out enemy ships from beyond visual range.
A naval official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no decision had been taken on whether the new ships will be bought from abroad or built locally.
"Whatever the origin, these ships will replace the eight Knox-class frigates. These two types of ships are quite different in size and their combat roles. Due to a shortage of manpower, we can not afford to keep old ships while buying new ones, and we will have to remove the Knox crews to the new ships," the official said.
"The purchase of 2,000-tonne ships is part of our 10-year arms buildup plan. We expect it to succeed," he said.
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