Tuo Chiang class corvette

The Tuo Chiang class corvette (沱江 lit. Tuo River; Project Name: Hsun Hai (迅海), lit. Swift Sea) is a research and development program for a planned stealthy, multi-mission, and state-of-the-art 500 ton missile corvette for the ROCN. The program was announced by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) on April 12, 2010. Local media has dubbed the vessel as a "Carrier Killer". Given the ability to counter future Chinese aircraft carriers, the vessel is expected to be armed with its domestic subsonic Hsiung Feng II and supersonic Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles (ASM).

Digital images of the vessel were made public at the Armed Forces Museum in Taipei, The concept shows a ship armed with what appear to be eight surface-to-surface Hsiung Feng III missiles launchers, a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System for air defense and a 76mm bow gun. The ship is developed by the Naval Shipbuilding Center in Kaohsiung. Sources indicate that the vessel will be 130 feet long and capable of cruising up to 38 kn. Taiwan Security Analysis Center (TAISAC) stated that the ship will be featuring technologies to help evade radar detection, a combat system that include a distributed-architecture combat direction system developed by the military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology "together with an indigenous search/track and fire-control radar and electro-optical director", according to TAISAC director Fu S. Mei. On December 14, 2010 the ROCN has explained that the program has been delayed due to lack of budget.

In 2011, the Republic of China legislature approved a NT$24.98 billion (US$853.4 million) budget to fund the construction of up to 12 ships.

On April 18, 2011 a top military officer and a lawmaker announced that the construction of a 500 ton prototype wil begin in 2012. In the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in 2013, the Navy unveiled a model of the Hsun Hai project corvette.

The first missile corvette vessel under Hsun Hai program, ROCS Tuo Chiang, 618 was christened Friday, March 14, 2014. Follow the Republic of China Navy's tradition, this type of ship is therefore officially named as "Tuo Chiang Class".

The christened vessel will have a maximum speed of 38 knots and a range of 2,000 nautical miles. It is 60.4 meters in length and 14 meters wide, carries a crew of 41 personnel, is armed with eight Hsiung Feng II sub-sonic anti-ship missiles, eight Hsiung Feng III super-sonic anti-ship missiles, a 76mm main gun and a 20mm CIWS. The ship can operate up to sea state 7 in waves up to 20 - 30 ft high.

On December 23, 2014 during the ceremony of its handovering to the ROCN, Yen Ming, the current Minister of National Defense, claimed that this corvette is undoubtedly the fastest and the strongest in Asia.