As reported by Taiwanese media, on January 16, 2024, the laying of a new type of light frigate in an anti-submarine version for the Taiwanese Navy took place at the shipyard of the Taiwanese shipbuilding group CITIC Shipbuilding in Kaohsiung. Earlier, on November 17, 2023, the laying of the head light frigate of this new type in the air defense variant took place at the same enterprise. Both ships are due to be delivered to the Taiwanese Navy in October 2026, and based on the results of their tests, it is planned to make a decision on the construction of a series of 10 ships of this type of two variants for the Taiwanese Navy.
The ceremony of laying the foundation stone at the shipyard of the Taiwanese shipbuilding group CITIC Shipbuilding in Kaohsiung for the Taiwanese Navy of the lead light frigate of a new type in an anti-submarine version. The design image of the ship is clearly visible. 16.01.2024 (c) def.ltn.com.tw
The development and design of new generation frigates within the framework of the Zhenhai project has been carried out in Taiwan since 2016. Initially, it was planned to build large ships with a standard displacement of at least 4,500-5,500 tons, equipped with an "aegis-like" multifunctional weapons complex with fixed antennas with AFAR - either their own development or the American Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-7. However, due to the significant cost and duration of the creation or purchase of such a complex and ships with it, in 2022 the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (Taiwan) decided to prioritize the construction of 12 relatively inexpensive "light" frigates to accelerate the replacement of the six remaining old American Knox-type frigates in the Taiwanese Navy.
In December 2022, a competition was announced among Taiwanese shipbuilding companies for the design and construction of two prototypes of a light frigate - one in the air defense variant and one in the PLO variant. On May 8, 2023, the Ministry of National Defense awarded the victory in the tender to the shipbuilding group CITIC Shipbuilding, awarding it a contract for the construction of two specified ship prototypes for a total of 9.05 billion new Taiwanese dollars (288 million US dollars), including 4.6 billion Taiwanese dollars for the lead frigate in the air defense variant and 4.45 billion Taiwanese dollars for the lead frigate in the PLO variant, with delivery of both ships by October 30, 2026. The specified cost includes only the cost of shipbuilding work at the shipyard itself, while the total cost of acquiring both lead ships will amount to 24.549 billion new Taiwanese dollars (782 million US dollars), including supplies of weapons and electronic equipment.
In fact, the main work on the design of frigates under the contract of CITIC Shipbuilding was carried out by the well-known American design company Gibbs & Cox. It is reported that the project is based on the design of the larger "light frigate" Australian Light Frigate (AUSLF), proposed in 2022-2023 by Gibbs & Cox for the Australian Navy. As expected, during the development of the technical project, completed by the end of September 2023, the size of the Taiwanese ship increased slightly - from the length of no more than 100 m and a standard displacement of no more than 2500 tons, initially required by the Taiwanese fleet, to a length of 115 m and a standard displacement of about 3000 tons.
The laying of the lead light frigate in the air defense variant took place at the CITIC Shipbuilding shipyard in Kaohsiung on November 17, 2023, and the laying of the lead ship in the PLO variant on January 16, 2024.
The new Taiwanese light frigates will have a steel hull and aluminum alloy superstructures. The combined gas-turbine-electric main power plant of the ship should include one General Electric LM2500 + G4 gas turbine unit with a capacity of 36,000 kW and two low-speed electric motors with a capacity of 1,440 kW each, with two variable pitch screws. Additionally, there is a backup diesel generator. Two handlebars must be installed. The full-time crew is 85-86 people. The full speed must exceed 30 knots, the economic speed under electric motors is 12 knots, while the cruising range of a ship designed for operations in the Taiwan Strait and coastal waters is small and limited to only 2,260 miles under electric motors.
The basis of the electronic weapons of the ships in both versions should be the BAE Systems ARTISAN 3D general detection radar with a rotating antenna with AFAR (this radar is now the main station of the British Navy ships under the designation Type 997). A surface target detection and navigation radar, Lockheed Martin CMS-330 ACS (used on new ships of the Canadian Navy) and a communication and information exchange complex of the Taiwanese development Dacheng should also be installed. A towed active-passive sonar system should be installed on the ship of the PLO variant. The tender choice for its purchase was made from the proposals of L3Harris, Geospectrum Technology Inc. (actually the Canadian branch of the Israeli Elbit Systems) and General Dynamics Mission System-Canada. In October 2023, the choice of the General Dynamics Mission System-Canada development complex was announced, but then this choice was disputed and at the moment the specific type of towed GAC is unknown.
The ships of both variants should be equipped with a 76-mm Leonardo Super Rapid universal artillery system with a Strales guided weapons system, one 20-mm six-barrel Raytheon Phalanx Mk 15 anti-aircraft artillery system and two 30-mm single-barrel or 20-mm double-barrel remotely operated artillery units of national production. The ships must carry the Sikorsky S-70C(M)-1/2 anti-submarine helicopter in the hangar and a fast-launching motorboat.
The main difference between the frigates of the air defense and PLO variants should be in the missile armament. The air defense ship should have a 32-charge Huayang vertical launcher for Taiwanese Hai Jian II anti-aircraft guided missiles (Hai Jian-2, TC-2N) with a firing range of up to 30 km, as well as 16 inclined container launchers of Hsiung Feng II and III anti-ship missiles, with the ability to carry eight more instead Chen Hsiung Feng III heavy long-range supersonic missiles. In the PLO variant, the ship will be deprived of the vertical Huayang launcher for anti-aircraft missiles, but instead carry up to 24 inclined container launchers of anti-ship missiles. According to a number of sources, some promising Taiwanese anti-submarine guided missile will also be able to be launched from the inclined container launchers of the PKR. The PLO frigate will also be equipped with two 324 mm three-tube Mk 32 torpedo tubes for Mk 46 Mod 5 or Mk 54 anti-submarine torpedoes. At the same time, in both versions of the ship, instead of part of the inclined container launchers of the RCC, inclined launchers of Hai Jian II anti-aircraft missiles can be installed - four containers instead of one container of the RCC. Normally, the PLO frigate will have to have 16 anti-aircraft and 16 anti-ship missiles. On the same air defense frigate, in the case of replacing all anti-aircraft missiles with anti-aircraft missiles, the total ammunition can reach 96 anti-aircraft missiles.
President of the Republic of China Tsai Ing-wen and Chairman of the Taiwanese shipbuilding group CITIC Shipbuilding Han Bisian at the laying ceremony at the shipyard of CITIC Shipbuilding in Kaohsiung for the Taiwanese Navy, the head light frigate of a new type in the air defense variant. 11/17/2023 (c) Press Service of the President of the Republic of China
A design image of a promising Taiwanese light frigate in the air defense variant. The official poster from the ship laying ceremony at the CITIC Shipbuilding shipyard in Kaohsiung, autographed by the President of the Republic of China Tsai Ing-wen. 11/17/2023 (c) Press Service of the President of the Republic of China
