The navy’s La Fayette-class frigates are to undergo NT$43.15 billion (US$1.35 billion) in combat systems upgrades over nine years to bolster their anti-surface capabilities, a military source said yesterday.
The project is also a first attempt to integrate Taiwan-based weaponry with French combat systems, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The first of six La Fayette ships was delivered to Taiwan and began service in 1996. Some of the existing systems on the ships would not be able to take on the threat facing Taiwan in the 21st century, the source said, adding that the navy has been making a series of upgrades to various ship systems to help prolong their service life.
Photo: CNA
The proposed combat system upgrades would swap out aging combat and radar systems, as well as anti-air missiles, the source said.
The RIM-72C Sea Chapparal missiles that the ships came with would be replaced with medium-range naval variants of the Tian Jian-II (“Sky Sword,” 天劍) missile developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the person said.
The missiles would be launched using a vertical launch system, which would be installed below deck at the ship’s prow, the source said, adding that the navy expects the refitting to be completed by 2030.
The first phase of the frigate project has been budgeted at NT$9.73 billion for next year, the source said.
The navy is to select one of the six ships and introduce new hardware from Naval Group, the French defense company that built the ships, and use the new system to issue orders to Sky Sword and Hsiung Feng-III (“Brave Wind,” 雄風) anti-ship missiles, the source said.
The navy anticipates some difficulties in integrating multiple systems and would give the project an assessment period of three years, the person said.
Should the trial prove successful and the results align with the navy’s combat needs, the navy would begin upgrading the rest of the fleet of La Fayette ships, the person added.
The navy confirmed that it was conducting upgrades of the La Fayette ships.
All six ships have undergone communications and engineering upgrades, and four ships that have completed the upgrades have been tested, while the other two are expected to be finished by the end of this year, the navy said.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
RSS