Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co has been awarded contracts to build 11 Tuo Jiang-class corvettes and four minelayers for the navy.
The shipbuilder is to deliver the Tuo Jiang-class guided missile corvettes by 2026, or a decade ahead of schedule, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said on Sunday.
With a displacement of less than 700 tonnes, the corvettes are to have anti-aircraft and anti-ship capabilities, but no anti-submarine capabilities, he said, adding that the navy’s original plan of having three corvette subtypes — anti-aircraft, anti-ship and anti-submarine — was scrapped to save time.
Photo: Lo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
In July, the navy contracted with the Ministry of National Defense-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology to take charge of the procurement platform, systems integration and combat systems development for the project, the institute’s Web site said.
According to the contract’s terms, the institute had to contract with a qualified Taiwanese shipbuilder no later than Nov. 11.
The institute said that the contractor was selected for its superior technical and financial performance through a transparent process to ensure successful indigenous production of high-performance warships.
Lung Teh was also awarded a contract to build fast minelayers for the navy, a defense official said on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The ministry later confirmed that report in an announcement.
The ministry said the shipbuilder is to deliver the minelayers by November 2021 at a cost of NT$738.31 million (US$24.01 million).
The remainder of the NT$917. 77 million budgeted for minelayers is reserved for the production of a naval mine that the institute is to develop, the navy said.
The minelayers would be a crucial asset to counter the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, the navy said, adding that the shipbuilding projects would benefit industry in Taiwan.
Deploying mines rapidly to close sea lanes and maritime zones that a hostile force might have chosen to move through helps disrupt enemy battle plans, the navy said.
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