Taiwan may become a supplier of weapons to Western democracies, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday, praising the island's ramped up weapons-design ability as she launched an advanced, missile-laden warship and commissioned a new minelayer.
Is the ‘Ta Chiang’ a carrier killer?
By Oliver Hwang 黃征輝
Following last month’s launch of the navy’s latest warship, the Ta Chiang, a heated debate has erupted in the media about whether the vessel can be classified as a “carrier killer,” with some claiming that it is a gross exaggeration of the ship’s capabilities.
So which side is right? Is the missile corvette a genuine “carrier killer” or not?
To find out, we must temporarily put aside the ship itself and instead focus on the missiles it is to carry: the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile.
The Hsiung Feng has a terminal velocity of Mach 3 and can skim less than 5m above the water’s surface. Supposing that the targeted aircraft carrier’s radar is positioned 50m above the water’s surface, its crew would, under optimum conditions, have about 40 seconds to initiate countermeasures.
| UPDATED: 12:02, Mon, Dec 21, 2020
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The group of aircraft carriers sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Sunday - one day after a US warship passed through the waterway. Six warships and eight air force aircraft were deployed to monitor the Chinese vessels, Reuters reports.
Names should represent Taiwan
By Ray Song 宋磊
As the navy’s indigenous submarine program gathers pace, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday attended a naming ceremony for the
Ta Chiang (塔江艦), an upgraded production version of the navy’s Tuo Chiang-class missile corvette, at Lung Teh Shipbuilding’s shipyard in Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳). The name
Ta Chiang is rich in local symbolism and is a fitting designation to represent Taiwan’s spirit of national defense.
The first character of the ship’s name is taken from the Tawa River (塔瓦溪) in Taitung County, which runs through the ancestral hunting grounds of the Paiwan people, who are renowned for their tenacity in the face of adversity, as well as their bravery and skillfulness in battle. The connection to the Paiwan will be a source of inspiration for the vessel’s crew.
China s military power (Image: Express)
While never having ruled Taiwan, the Chinese Communist Party considers the country to be a breakaway province and believes it must be brought back to the motherland.
Back in October, China’s President Xi Jinping told troops to prepare for war following Washington’s support of Taiwan.
With a potential war on the horizon, Taiwan is outgunned by China and has called for the US to provide the country with the necessary defensive materials.
Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, previously told The Guardian: “Considering that China may want to launch an attack a couple… or several years down the road in a more massive way, we need to procure more items from the United States.