The Taiwanese navy on Thursday launched its first locally built ”stealth” missile boat which it said would prove a valuable asset in the event of conflict with China, the navy said.
The 170-ton vessel, built locally, is scheduled to be commissioned next year after stringent tests, the navy said.
It plans to build 29 other missile boats modelled on the stereotype under the ”Kuanghwa six Project”.
The ship’s sleek design is aimed at reducing the reflection of radar waves, the navy said.
”The fleet is expected to serve as a maritime deterrent,” it said.
Analysts said the boats would be able to ”passively” receive intelligence collected by other Taiwan warships without opening their radars to the ”enemy”.
Such stealth actions would enable them to launch missile blitzes against targeted enemy warships without risking their location.
The missile boat, designed to cruise at a maximum speed of 33 knots, would be armed with four locally made Hsiungfeng II ship-to-ship missiles.
The ships would replace dozens of ageing 50-ton Seagull missile boats, each of which is installed with two Hsiungfeng I missiles.
Vice Admiral Hsu Chu-sheng said the new ships would play a critical role in the next few years when the military balance between Taiwan and China is expected to tip in favor of Beijing.
Taiwan and China have been at odds since the defeated Nationalist Party fled mainland China to the island at the end of a civil war in 1949.
Beijing has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory awaiting reunification, should the island declare formal independence. – Sapa-AFP