Taiwan receives fifth, sixth Tuo Chiang-class corvettes

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen seen here at the handover ceremony of An Chiang (625) and Wan Chiang (626) on 26 March 2024. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

The Republic of China Navy (RoCN) has received its fifth and sixth Tuo Chiang-class guided-missile corvettes.

Presiding over the vessels' handover ceremony on 26 March at Yilan was Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen who in an official social media post on the same day described the handover event as “an important step forward for Taiwan's indigenous naval defence”.

The Tuo Chiang class is a catamaran-hulled corvette that features a wave-piercing form factor with reduced radar cross-section (RCS) exteriors. It was developed by the country's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST) with local shipbuilder Lung Teh.

First-of-class ROCS Tuo Chiang (618) was commissioned in December 2014. The programme's second-of-class onwards are based on an improved design with a longer overall length of 65 m and a higher displacement of 685 tonnes. The first-of-class displaces about 600 tonnes and has an overall length of about 60 m.

The vessels that were handed over on 26 March are named An Chiang (625) and Wan Chiang (626).

“With this full flight of six indigenous ships completed ahead of schedule and more on the way, Taiwan is showing that it is serious about enhancing indigenous defence and protecting its waters,” read the post made by Tsai on her official social media account.

Tsai gave no details on the number of vessels that are “on the way”, but the country is known to be pursuing a programme for at least five more corvettes of the same class.