TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will lay the keel of its planned air defense variant light frigate next month.
A keel-laying ceremony is planned for Nov. 4, Liberty Times reported. Construction of the frigate began last November. The ship will be equipped with a vertical missile launch system at the bow to carry air-defense missiles.
Meanwhile, the construction of an anti-submarine frigate began this January. It will be outfitted with torpedoes and sonar equipment to detect and eliminate enemy submarines.
The keel-laying ceremony for this prototype is scheduled for February. Both warships are scheduled to be delivered by October 2026.
Both frigates will be armed with domestically-produced Hsiung Feng anti-ship missiles, enabling them to strike enemy surface vessels. The military plans to allocate a budget to purchase ten additional frigates to replace the aging Chi Yang-class frigates.
The Navy Command has allocated US$154,704 (NT$4.97 million) to send 22 personnel abroad for training. Sixteen officers will be sent to North America in January, June, and July 2025 to study the battle management system for the ships.
For radar training, three officers will travel to Europe in June and three others in October. Upon returning, they will become seed instructors.
The Navy explained that the new vessels would primarily be responsible for reconnaissance and surveillance operations in the Taiwan Strait, escorting transport ships to outlying islands, maintaining the safety of maritime traffic lines, and supporting military exercises and training.