Taiwanese Navy modernisation

[buglerbilly]

U.S. To Sell Taiwan Two Frigates: Report

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 5 Aug 2010 12:00

TAIPEI - The U.S. will arm Taiwan with two frigates to help the island boost its defense capabilities against China, according to reports Aug. 5.

The U.S. government has notified Taiwan of the sale at a price of $40 million of two Perry-class frigates about to be retired from the U.S. Navy, Taipei's Apple Daily said, citing a defense ministry source.

Taiwan's navy said it had not yet received information about the reported frigate sale.

"Taiwan's navy already operates a fleet of eight such frigates, but it has launched a five-year buildup beginning from 2008," naval spokesman Hsia Yu-teh said.

Taiwanese media have said the planned buildup includes eight conventional submarines, as well as an undisclosed number of frigates and guided-missile patrol boats.

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have eased significantly since President Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008, pledging to boost trade links and allow in more Chinese tourists.

But Beijing still refuses to rule out the use of force against Taiwan should it declare formal independence, prompting the island to seek more defensive weapons.

The island has governed itself since it split from the mainland in 1949 at the end of a civil war.

China has reportedly increased its missiles aimed at Taiwan from 300 in 2001 to 1,400 in 2008.

Washington announced in January a weapons package for Taiwan that includes Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, and equipment for Taiwan's F-16 fighter jets, but no submarines or new fighter aircraft.

Beijing reacted angrily to the arms deal, halting military and security contacts with the United States.

[buglerbilly]

Taiwan To Build New 'Stealth' Warship

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 18 Apr 2011 09:32

TAIPEI - Taiwan plans to build a new 'stealth' warship armed with guided-missiles next year in response to China's naval build-up, a top military officer and a lawmaker said Monday.

Construction of the prototype of the 500-ton corvette is due to start in 2012 for completion in 2014, deputy defense minister Lin Yu-pao said in answer to a question by Kuomintang party legislator Lin Yu-fang at parliament.

The warship, which the navy says is harder to detect on radar, is expected to emerge after China puts into service its first battle carrier group, the legislator said.

The twin-hulled boat will be armed with up to eight home-grown Hsiung-feng II ship-to-ship missiles and eight other more lethal Hsiung-feng III anti-ship supersonic missiles.

The remarks came as China has been restoring The Varyag, an old Soviet aircraft carrier bought in 1998.

The aircraft carrier will be used for training and as a model for a future indigenously-built ship, according to Andrei Chang, head of the Kanwa Information Centre, which monitors China's military.

The ship, currently based in the northeast port of Dalian, could make its first sea trip "very soon," he said.

Calls have been mounting on the island for the military to come up with counter-measures against the perceived threat.

Ties between Taiwan and China have eased markedly since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008, ramping up trade and allowing in more Chinese tourists.

But Beijing still refuses to renounce the use of force, even though Taiwan has been self-governing since 1949 at the end of a civil war, prompting the island to keep modernizing its forces.

[Unicorn]

Taiwan is pressing for Burke class destroyers, however the US is aware that China will go ballistic if that sale goes through.

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[buglerbilly]

Taiwan would be far better served going for its own designs rather than living in Cloud Cuckoo Land when it comes to either making SENSIBLE defence decisions AND sticking to sensible timeframes for introduction.

It would be far easier, I would suggest, to procure missiles from the USA rather than pose like a bunch of semi-hysterical schoolgirls whilst masturbating over the impossible Weapons desires it stands virtually no chance of obtaining. In truth, a lot of these semi-bizarre requests seem to have more to do with winding up the Mainland PRC and pressurising the current US Government, than a realistic and steady path to weapons and capability modernisation.

Taiwan can easily build the Warship hull, its the systems it carries that they struggle with, and thats where their focus should be.

[buglerbilly]

Mon, May 09, 2011 　

Missiles could counter carrier threat: report

By Rich Chang / Staff Reporter


A naval officer stands at attention behind a Hsiung Feng II missile aboard a domestically developed missile corvette during a ceremony in Zuoying, Greater Kaohsiung, on May 18 last year.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times

The navy’s deployment of more Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) surface-to-surface missiles could provide the means to counter the potential threat posed by Chinese aircraft carriers, a news report says.

The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) yesterday quoted navy officials as saying that the deployment of Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship missiles on warships could effectively deter China’s warship groups and aircraft carriers currently under development.

Reports said last month that the Varyag, a refitted Ukrainian aircraft carrier, was nearing completion and could embark on its maiden voyage later this year.

Officially intended for training, the Varyag could play a combat role in a Taiwan contingency and is equipped with a number of radar systems.

However, experts say it will be a few years before Chinese naval pilots develop the skills necessary to take off and land aircraft — acquired from Russia or China-made — on carriers.

China is also reportedly developing its own nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which could be deployed around 2020.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) told the newspaper the navy had earmarked NT$1.89 billion (US$66 million) to carry out the deployment of Hsiung Feng III missiles on Taiwan’s eight Cheng Kung-class frigates and seven Ching Chiang-class patrol ships -between 2007 and 2013.

The report said the navy last month unveiled the image of a high-tech missile corvette specifically designed to counter Chinese aircraft carriers. It also plans to deploy Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) and HF-3 missiles on the corvette, it said.

Lin said ship and land-based HF-3 missiles would pose a strong threat to Chinese warships and aircraft carriers approaching Taiwan.

However, while the navy has fielded land-based HF-2 missiles, it has yet to develop shore-based and land-based HF-3s, the report said.

Navy Chief of General Staff Vice Admiral Lee Hao (李皓) said that while the navy was developing land-based and mobile HF-3 missiles, their size and weight created difficulties in developing the vehicles capable of carrying the launchers.

Lee said that once the navy resolved that technical challenge, land-based HF-3s would be deployed.

Additional reporting by Staff Writer

[buglerbilly]

Taiwan Supersonic Missile Test Flops

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 28 Jun 2011 11:33

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan's defense ministry on June 28 confirmed reports that a new supersonic anti-ship missile had missed its target during a routine naval drill in the latest in a series of setbacks.

Analysts say the Hsiung Feng (Brave Wind) III missile, designed to cruise at a maximum speed of Mach 2.0, or twice the speed of sound, and with a range of up to 80 miles, is difficult to defend against.

But the defense ministry said the weapon, the island's first locally developed supersonic anti-ship missile, had failed to hit its objective during the drill due to a computer glitch.

"The ministry will improve on the screening of hardcore facilities ... to ensure the quality of the missiles," it said in a statement. Taiwan started to deploy the Hsiung Feng III on its warships last year in response to China's rapid naval expansion.

But the island's military leaders were left red-faced after two failed missile tests earlier this year that earned rare criticism from President Ma Ying-jeou, who urged the armed forces to practice more.

The Taipei-based China Times said the latest failure was particularly embarrassing for Taiwan's navy, since it "coincided" with Beijing's much-publicized military drills in South China Sea in mid-June.

The missiles are estimated to cost Taiwanese taxpayers at least Tw$100 million ($3.45 million) each, the report said.

Ties between China and Taiwan have improved since Ma became the island's president in 2008 on a China-friendly platform.

But China still regards Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting to be reunified by force if necessary, although the island has governed itself since 1949 when a civil war ended.

[buglerbilly]

Anti-aircraft carrier tactics in military drills: MND

2011/07/12 17:50:53

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Anti-aircraft carrier combat strategies have been included in Taiwan's annual military drills since 2008, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Tuesday amid the nation's fears of a Chinese military buildup and an overwhelming imbalance in military power.

With the annual Han Kuang military exercises set to begin next week, military officials at a regular press briefing were bombarded with questions from the media about whether and how the nation plans to prepare itself against China's first aircraft carrier.

News stories have been published recently on China's secretive program to build a huge aircraft carrier that would greatly enhance its military prowess.

General Hau Yi-chi of the MND's Joint Warfare Planning Department said the ministry simulated a Chinese aircraft carrier operation in Taiwan's eastern waters in the 2008 exercises and has conducted discussions on military tactics at length on how to deal with such a possibility.

Hau, however, refused to confirm whether the five-day computer-aided war games beginning July 18 will feature the imaginary presence of a Chinese aircraft carrier.

The Han Kuang exercises are held each year to test Taiwan's combat strategies and tactics in the face of a simulated invasion by China's People's Liberation Army on land, water and from the air.

A military official added that the combat scenarios will be drafted based on the international climate and political situation, but declined

[buglerbilly]

Taiwan Urges Better South China Sea Defense

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 26 Oct 2011 09:47

TAIPEI - Taiwan's security chief called Oct. 26 for improved defenses of a group of islands in the South China Sea, reacting to reports that rival claimants to the disputed waters are building up arms.

"The Spratly Islands are our territory ... We should upgrade our defense capabilities and replace some aging equipment," Tsai De-sheng, head of the national security bureau, said in parliament.

Tsai's comments came after defense minister Kao Hua-chu endorsed a plan proposed by lawmakers to deploy advanced missiles in the contested waters over concerns that Taiwan's coast guards were vulnerable.

The Taiwanese coast guard currently has a 130-strong garrison on Taiping, the biggest island in the Spratlys archipelago.

Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, China, Malaysia and the Philippines claim all or part of the Spratlys, which could lie on top of large oil reserves.

All claimants except Brunei have troops based on the archipelago of more than 100 islets, reefs and atolls, which have a total land mass of less than five square kilometers (two square miles).

Taiwan's navy in July took a group of academics to the disputed islands despite a flare-up of regional tensions over rival claims for the contested waters.

Tensions in the decades-old dispute escalated this year amid accusations from the Philippines and Vietnam that China was becoming increasingly aggressive in staking its claims.

[buglerbilly]

Taiwan Navy Retires 2 Missile Boats

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 28 Dec 2011 09:52

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan on Dec. 28 retired two patrol boats, the navy's first vessels armed with ship-to-ship missiles, that were hailed as "critical" to safeguarding the island, officials said.

Hundreds of former and active soldiers who had served on board the 240-ton Lung Chiang and Sui Chiang bid farewell to the ships at a ceremony in southern Kaohsiung city, the navy said.

Vice Admiral Chiang Lung-an said the ships "have played a critical role in safeguarding Taiwan over the past 30 years".

The U.S.-made Lung Chiang joined Taiwan's navy in 1978, while the Taiwan-built Sui Chiang came three years later in 1981. Each was armed with four homemade "Hsiung Feng I" (Brave Wind I) anti-ship missiles.

Earlier this year, Taiwan's navy put a squadron of 10 guided-missile boats into service featuring what was described as "stealth" technologies as it looked to boost its defenses amid Beijing's military buildup.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have eased since President Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008, pledging to boost trade links and allowing more Chinese tourists to visit the island.

But Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

The island has governed itself since its split with mainland China in 1949 at the end of a civil war.

[buglerbilly]

Taiwan Navy Asks for Funds for 8 New Subs

Feb. 20, 2012 - 08:53AM

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

TAIPEI — Taiwan's navy will ask parliament to fund the purchase of up to eight new submarines within the next two months, reviving an acquisition that has been in limbo for over a decade, local media said Feb. 20.

The navy may not necessarily buy U.S. technology and is looking at three different countries as potential suppliers, the United Daily News reported.

In April 2001, then-U.S. President George W. Bush approved the sale of eight conventional submarines as part of Washington's most comprehensive arms package to the island since 1992.

Since then, however, there has been little progress as the U.S. has not built conventional submarines for more than 40 years, and Germany and Spain had reportedly declined to offer their designs for fear of offending China.

But the United Daily News said new options have emerged lately as three countries have offered either to help Taiwan build submarines or sell the island several German-built submarines. It did not name the three countries.

"Purchasing submarines from the United States has been given top priority in the past years and will remain so in the future," the Taiwan navy said in a response to the report. "But if there are any other sources to provide submarines, they are also welcome."

Taiwan's navy operates a fleet of four submarines, but only two of them, both Dutch-built, could be deployed in the event of war. The other two were built by the U.S. in the 1940s.

Ties between Taipei and Beijing have improved markedly since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008 promising to boost trade links and allow more Chinese tourists to visit the island.

But Beijing still sees the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though Taiwan has governed itself since 1949 at the end of a civil war.

China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan should the island declare formal independence, prompting Taipei to seek more advanced weapons.

[buglerbilly]

Taiwan to Arm Subs with U.S. Missiles: Report

Feb. 22, 2012 - 01:57PM

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s navy will arm its submarines with anti-ship missiles for the first time ever beginning next year, a report said Feb. 22, as the island boosts its defense capabilities against rival China.

The Taipei-based United Daily News said the navy, which ordered the U.S.-built Harpoon missiles in 2008, recently test-fired the weapons in the United States, in preparation for installing them on its two Dutch-built submarines.

“The missiles will become operational on the two submarines next year,” the newspaper said, citing an unnamed naval source.

It said that the more than 30 missiles, which have a range of 72 miles, will give the two submarines long-distance strike capabilities that they have previously lacked. Taiwan’s navy declined to comment on the report, citing a long-standing policy of not discussing arms purchases with the media.

Taiwan, which already has Harpoons installed on frigates and F-16 fighter jets, ordered the submarine-launched missiles in 2008 as part of a $6.5 billion arms sale that sparked strong protests from Beijing.

The deal also included advanced interceptor Patriot missiles and Apache attack helicopters.

Ties between Taipei and Beijing have improved markedly since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008 promising to boost trade links and allow more Chinese tourists to visit the island. But Beijing still sees the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though Taiwan has governed itself since 1949 at the end of a civil war.

China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan should the island declare formal independence, prompting Taipei to seek more advanced weapons, largely from the United States.

[buglerbilly]

Taiwan May Build Own Submarines: Official

Mar. 29, 2012 - 10:41AM

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

TAIPEI — Taiwan may build its own submarines, a top military officer said March 29, in a sign that patience is wearing thin after a U.S. offer to sell the island eight submarines has been stalled for a decade.

Chao Shih-chang, a deputy defense minister, told parliament the ministry has continued pushing for the sale since the United States promised eight conventional submarines in 2001.

But while waiting for the U.S. to follow through on the deal, the ministry has also been evaluating calls for the construction of the submarines by the island’s leading shipyard CSBC Corporation, Taiwan.

“If it can reach the necessary technological level and obtain support from abroad, the defense ministry would certainly be pleased to see CSBC Corporation, Taiwan build the subs,” Chao said.

In April 2001, then U.S. president George W. Bush approved the sale of eight conventional submarines as part of Washington’s most comprehensive arms package to the island since 1992.

Since then, however, there has been little progress as the United States has not built conventional submarines for more than 40 years and Germany and Spain had reportedly declined to offer their designs for fear of offending China.

The Taiwanese navy currently operates a fleet of four submarines, but only two of them, Dutch-built, could be deployed in the event of war. The other two were built by the United States in the 1940s.

Tensions between Taiwan and China have eased markedly since President Ma Ying-jeou came to power on a platform of beefing up trade links and allowing more Chinese tourists to visit. Ma was re-elected in January.

But Taiwan, which has governed itself since 1949, still sees a need to modernize its armed forces because China regards the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.