The Ministry of National Defense has awarded a NT$2.49 billion (US$79.4 million) contract to DCI Group of France for ship combat system platform components, a government procurement notice dated yesterday showed.
The limited tender is being implemented in Kaohsiung from Jan. 18 to the same day next year, the notice said.
The contract would likely supply components to one of Taiwan’s six Kang Ding-class guided missile frigates, as DCI Group is the supplier of original equipment manufacturer parts for Laffeyette-class warships, on which they are based.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
The Kang Ding-class frigates — which comprise the navy’s 124th Fleet headquartered in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying Naval Base — are mainly employed in air defense, anti-submarine warfare, escort, anti-blockade and joint surface interception roles.
The navy has allocated a total of NT$43.2 billion to modernize the Kang Ding-class ships by 2030 with battle management system upgrades, new radars and vertical launch systems developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Huayang Project.
The launch system would enable the frigates to fire indigenous Hai Chien II (“Sea Sword”) and Hai Kung III (“Sea Bow”) missiles instead of the aging Chaparral missile systems that originally equipped the class.
Taiwanese navy frigate the Chen De (承德), which was last seen being refitted at a dock in Kaohsiung last year, was the first Kang Ding-class warship to receive the upgrades. The listed completion time for the refitting is between next year and 2026.
The modernization program, with a budget of NT$5.76 billion for this year, is probably the source of funding for the latest contract with DCI Group, although the ministry did not specify whether the parts would be used for the Chen De or another ship.
The remainder of this year’s Kang Ding-class modernization budget is likely to be utilized for domestically developed systems and weapons.
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
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
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS