DEFENSE/First of second batch of indigenous stealth missile corvettes launched: Source

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) The first of the remaining five Tuo Chiang-class stealth missile corvettes being domestically built for the Navy was officially launched in a ceremony presided over by Navy Commander Admiral Tang Hua (唐華) on Wednesday, according to an anonymous military source.

The Dan Chiang (丹江, PGG-627) was launched in a ceremony that was closed to the press, with the newly constructed ship officially entering the water for the first time. The vessel was also christened, according to the source.

The corvette, named after Danda River (丹大溪) in central Nantou County, is expected to be delivered to Taiwan's Navy next year after further trials, the unnamed source added.

The Tuo Chiang-class corvette is a domestically designed and manufactured class of fast and stealthy multipurpose corvette built for the Navy.

In addition to the prototype -- the Tuo Chiang (沱江, PGG-618), which was commissioned in 2015 -- the first batch consisting of six corvettes have all delivered to the Navy and entered service.

The Dan Chiang is the first of the second batch of five corvettes that will be delivered to the Navy, which will have 11 Tuo Chiang-class corvettes by the end of 2026.

The Tuo Chiang-class corvette, which has a wave-piercing catamaran design and is 60.4m long and 14m wide, has a top speed of 30 knots (55.6kph) and a range of 1,800 nautical miles (3,334km), the navy says.

The corvette is fitted with subsonic Hsiung Feng II (雄風二, "Brave Wind II") missiles, supersonic Hsiung Feng III (雄風三, "Brave Wind III") anti-ship missiles, a 76mm cannon and Hai Chien II (海劍二, "Sea Sword II") carrier-based medium-range air defense missiles, enabling it to hit air and sea targets simultaneously, according to the Navy.