Navy mulls construction of eight light patrol shipsBy Wu Su-wei and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe navy is reportedly considering building eight light patrol ships with displacements between 2,000 and 2,500 tonnes amid a delay in plans to update the nation’s fleet of guided missile frigates. First are destroyers and patrol vessels led by a captain, followed by patrol ships larger than 1,000 tonnes led by a commander and smaller patrol boats led by a lieutenant commander. However, ships fitting the second category are no longer in commission, requiring 500-tonne Ching Chiang-class patrol boats to assume the duties previously assigned to 1,000-tonne vessels. If it wants to build light patrol ships, they cannot be “super warships” equipped with a full suite of capabilities, he added. After all, modern patrol ships without vertical launch systems to fire anti-aircraft missiles or phased array radar could hardly stave off a saturation attack, he said.

Source: Taipei Times December 06, 2021 03:54 UTC