Tuo Chiang-class

The Tuo Chiang class is a series of catamaran corvettes operated by the Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy. The Ministry of National Defense announced the program on 12 April 2010 to address the performance of traditional small warships, such as patrol craft and corvettes, in the rough seas around Taiwan. Developed by the Naval Shipbuilding Center in Kaohsiung, the program received legislative funding in 2011 to build up to 12 vessels. The prototype corvette, ROCS Tuo Chiang (PGG-618), was launched on 14 March 2014 by Lungteh Shipbuilding in Su'ao and commissioned on 23 December 2014.

The Tuo Chiang class utilizes a wave-piercing catamaran hull design with stealth features. These features include a clean upper structure with few extrusions to reduce the radar cross section, pre-cooled engine exhaust to minimize the infrared signature, and a reduced visual profile. The corvettes are propelled by MTU 20V 4000 M93L diesel engines driving MJP CSU 850 waterjets and can operate in conditions up to sea state 7. The ships feature a flight deck for vertical replenishment.

Sensors and combat management systems differ across batches. The prototype uses the CS/SPG-6N(S) surface search radar, CS/SPG-6N(T) fire control radar, and a variable depth sonar. From the second ship onward, the corvettes carry the CS/MPQ-90 Sea Bee Eye active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Ships PGG-619 through PGG-626 utilize the STIR 1.2 EO Mk2 fire control radar, while Flight II vessels use the Leonardo NA-30S Mk2 fire control radar.

The armament configuration also varies by production flight. The prototype carries eight subsonic Hsiung Feng II and eight supersonic Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles, a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS), an Otobreda 76 mm main gun, two 12.7 mm Browning M2HB machine guns, and two Mark 32 triple torpedo launchers. Flight I vessels carry 16 TC-2N surface-to-air missiles, eight Hsiung Feng II missiles, four Hsiung Feng III missiles, one Otobreda 76 mm gun, one Phalanx CIWS, and two Browning M2HB machine guns. Flight II ships carry 16 TC-2N missiles, four Hsiung Feng II missiles, eight Hsiung Feng III missiles, one Otobreda 76 mm gun, two Browning M2HB machine guns, and either a Phalanx CIWS or a Sea Oryx system.

In December 2020, the builder launched the first improved Flight I vessel, ROCS Ta Chiang (PGG-619), which completed testing of the TC-2N missile and was commissioned in July 2021. The final two ships of the initial six-ship batch, ROCS An Chiang (PGG-625) and ROCS Wan Chiang (PGG-626), were commissioned at Su'ao Harbor in March 2024. Production of a second batch consisting of five ships began in 2024. The first of these Flight II vessels, ROCS Tan Chiang (PGG-627), was launched in July 2025, handed over to the navy in March 2026 and commissioned at Zuoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung on 24 July 2026. All twelve corvettes are expected to be in service by the end of 2026.