Navy to add missile system to fleetSUPERIOR: Retrofitting ships with vertical missile launch systems would enhance air-defense capabilities as a higher firing rate is enabled, a defense official saidBy Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe navy is retrofitting its fleet with domestically developed Huayang air defense missile vertical launch systems, after the launchers recently passed certification tests, a defense official said on condition of anonymity on Wednesday. The Kaohsiung had previously been a command ship in the navy, the official said, adding that an add-on seen on the vessel was likely a prototype active phased array radar unit. Photo courtesy of the Republic of China NavyThe navy plans to equip Kang Ding-class frigates, the proposed next-generation guided missile frigates, the landing platform dock Yushan and potentially other warships, he said. Retrofitting the ship class with vertical launch systems — which have a superior firing rate over older launch systems — would bolster the navy’s anti-air capabilities, the official said. The retrofit would enhance the fleet’s air-defense capabilities, as vertical launch systems enable a higher firing rate than is possible with older missile launch systems, he said.
