Taiwan's Navy, though filled with transferred US Navy technology, is no slouch.
They have seven major surface combatant classes that I will cover over the next couple of posts.
The first four classes represent a force of twenty-six capable, major surface combatants. All of them are principally foreign designed (either US Navy or French), but do incorporate some ROC weapons and sensors.
Kee Lung Class Destroyers (ex-US Navy Kidd Class)
These four destroyers are Taiwan's largest and most capable Naval combatants. They represent the transfer of the entire Kidd-class vessels of the US Navy. The Kidd class were initially built for the Shah of Iran and were highly upgraded versions of the Spruance class destroyers.
They are very quiet (for ASW operations), carried two Sea Haw helicopters, had two, twin armed missile launchers for Standard missiles (and were just like the US nuclear cruisers and the initial Ticonderoga cruisers in that regard), each with a forty missile magazine, the carrier eight Harpoon missiles, two Phalnx 20mm CIWS, two three tube torpedo launchers, and two 127mm DP guns.
They are packed with an array of very modern, very sophisticated sensors from sonars to air radar to surface radar and very good electronics.
They were built to be air conditioned for the very hot Mid-East conditions, and were typically called "AEGIS-Light," by US Navy personnel because they were so capable in all regards.
These destroyers can operate in a cooperative engagement mode with US Navy AEGIS class destroyers and Cruisers, which is a very powerful capability.
These four vessels are the Republic of China's Navy (ROCN) to the four Sovremenny destroyers that the PLAN received from Russia.
Cheng Kung Class Frigates(US Navy Oliver Hazard Perry Class)
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The ROCN currently has eight of these vessels which were license built by the ROC in Taiwan. The ROCN is in the process of purchasing two more from the US Navy which will result in a total of ten such vessels.
They are strong multi-role frigates and can be data linked to US Navy combatants, particularly AEGIS destroyers.
They include forty SM-1 MR anti-air medium ranged missiles. They have seperate launchers for eight surface to surface missiles, thereby reserving all 40 standard missile slots for air defense (where the US Navy vessels launched their SSMs from the single armed launcher, thereby using up part of their missile magazine. The vessels are also armed with six torpedo tubes, a rapid firing, dual-purpose 76mm naval gun, a 20mm Phalanx CIWS, two 40mm bofors cannons (also added specially for the ROCN ships), and can carry two S-70 C Seahawk ASW helicopters in their large hanger, aft on the vessels.
Their modern sensor suite is well suited for air, surface, and sub-surface search, acquisition and targeting.
Kang ding Class Frigates (French La Faytette Class)
These six modern frigates were built to the French La Fayette Frigte design, with changes for Taiwan.
In 1992, the ROC contracted with prime contractor Thales (formerly Thomson CSF), arranging for the construction of these six French Lafayette style ships. Weapons assembly was to take place in Taiwan, carried out by the China SB Corporation at Kaohsiung. The frigates were built in France at state shipbuilder DCN's Lorient Naval Dockyard.
These frigates were built to the stealthy Lafayette design but differ both structurally and particularly in the weapons fit since the French refused to sell the modern French weapons systems, though they did sell them the sensors. Using US and indigenous weapons, the frigate's anti-submarine capability has been considerably enhanced and additional guns have also been fitted.
They are armed with a 76mm DP gun, two 40mm Bofors cannons, six torpedoe launchers, eight Hsung Feng II anti-shipping/surface missiles, one Phalanx 20mm CIWS, a single ASW helicopter with hanger, and a Se Chaparral anti-air system with four ready to fire missiles.
Without a modern anti-air weapon, the ROC looked initially at the US Rolling Air Frame Missile (RAM) system for these vessel for a future refit. However, that purchase and refit never occurred. Recently the ROCN announced their intention to fit the vessels with a Taiwan indigenous Ship-Based Tien Chien II/Sky Sword II missile system in 2017. With a range between 2 and 60 kilometers, this modern system will provide very adequate air defense for the Kang Ding FFGs, as well as any vessels they might escort. This system will greatly enhance the AAW capabilities of these vessels.
Until that time, the vessels remain markedly under armed in terms of air defense relying on an antiquated Sea Chaparral system. It is only capable of countering low-flying aircraft and lacks antimissile capability and does not have a very good anti-jamming capability. After the four loaded missiles are fired, the remaining eight have to be manually loaded, so it cannot adapt to modern war at sea threat conditions.
The primary role of these frigates, like the US Perry FFG derived Cheng Kung frigates, is, in conjunction with other ROCN vessels, to provide sea control, particularly protecting ROC sea lanes and ROC interests in the South China Sea and Twaian Straits.
Chi Yang Class Frigates (ex-US Navy Knox Class)
The Chi Yang class represents older US Navy Knox class frigates that were sold to Taiwan in the 1990s, after the end of their US Navy service life.
These vessels were multi-role frigates, but well known vfor their ASW capabilities.
They have been upgraded with newer weapons systems, and added ten Standard Missile box launchers to each vessel, significantly increasing their anti-air defense capability.
In addition to the ten SM-1 anti-air missiles, these vessels are armed with a single ASW helo, a 127mm gun, an eight cell box launcher for ASROC ASW weapons and Harpoon missiles, a 20mm Phalanx CIWS, and four ASW torpedoes.
The Republic of China Navy received eight of these vessels in the 1990s and they are all still active
