The launch ceremony was attended by the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the Taiwan Navy.

Ta Chiang, which is derived from the Tawa River in Taitung County, is the name of the new ship. According to the Navy Command, the river basin is home to the Paiwan Indigenous people, who have hunted in the region since ancient times and are renowned for their fearlessness and courage in war.

The first Tuo Chiang-class ship will formally be delivered to the Navy in July 2021.Advanced electronic warfare, reconnaissance and search systems, and powerful anti-ship missiles are fitted with the new vessel.

Along with the battlefield setting, the addition of this ship can be used to render military planning more flexible, to become a sea fortress in my country and to protect the borders of the Republic of China.

Tuo Chiang is Taiwan's first indigenous guided-missile corvette. While the Anping-class offshore patrol vessel, the first of which was launched by the Coast Guard Administration, is similar, the Tuo Chiang variant, as it is designed for combat, is far more heavily armed.

The Tuo Chiang-class ships are fitted on their forward deck with an OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun.

The ships are built by the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company based in Kaohsiung, and feature a modern catamaran design that provides better stability, survivability, less draft, higher speed, and higher fuel efficiency.

Maritime Business World