The navy is retrofitting its fleet with domestically developed Huayang air defense missile vertical launch systems, after the launchers recently passed certification tests, a defense official said on condition of anonymity on Wednesday.
The amphibious assault ship Kaohsiung — which the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is using as a test platform for the launchers — has fired Hai Chien II (Sea Sword) and Hai Kung III (Sea Bow) missiles with the system, he said.
The Kaohsiung had previously been a command ship in the navy, the official said, adding that an add-on seen on the vessel was likely a prototype active phased array radar unit.
Photo courtesy of the Republic of China Navy
The navy plans to equip Kang Ding-class frigates, the proposed next-generation guided missile frigates, the landing platform dock Yushan and potentially other warships, he said.
The launch system and Hai Chien II missiles have already been installed in the frigate Si Ning as part of the Kang Ding-class combat systems upgrade program, he said.
Retrofitting the ship class with vertical launch systems — which have a superior firing rate over older launch systems — would bolster the navy’s anti-air capabilities, the official said.
The retrofit would enhance the fleet’s air-defense capabilities, as vertical launch systems enable a higher firing rate than is possible with older missile launch systems, he said.
Box-type launchers are currently used on Kang Ding and Chi Yang-class frigates, Tuo Chiang-class corvettes and the Yushan, while single-arm launchers are used on Cheng Kung-class frigates and double-armed launchers are used on Keelung-class frigates, he said.
Separately, the official said that the navy’s Cheng Kung-class frigates — formerly US Knox-class ships — are to receive the SM-2 dual-purpose anti-air and anti-ship missiles as a replacement for the older SM-1s.
The military is considering a comprehensive upgrade to the aging warships, he added.
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