(This article first appeared in December 2020.)
This year China sent a loud and clear message to the U.S. Navy when the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) conducted several tests of its new “aircraft carrier killer” missiles. However, Beijing may have received a similar, and notably as clear message from Taipei this month after the Taiwanese Navy announced that it has launched the first of its heavily armed “carrier killer” corvettes.
The domestically-produced vessels have been touted as a key component to the independent island nation’s defense efforts against its mainland neighbor. The corvettes, which have earned the nickname “aircraft carrier killers,” are armed with subsonic and supersonic missiles.
Water Wars: Flirting in the Taiwan Strait
USS Barry (DDG 52) conducts routine underway operations in the Taiwan Strait (U.S. Navy photo by LTJG Samuel Hardgrove).
This month saw some notable military activity in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, continued diplomatic efforts by the United States and its partners to push back against China, and a renewed emphasis by the U.S. Navy on countering China’s growing naval power. Much of the analysis regarding the Indo-Asia Pacific in the past month focused on what the incoming Biden administration would mean for the region.
Military Activity
Taiwan Tensions Continue
Could these smaller, missile-toting ships actually pose a threat to large Chinese aircraft carriers?
This year China sent a loud and clear message to the U.S. Navy when the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) conducted several tests of its new “aircraft carrier killer” missiles. However, Beijing may have received a similar, and notably as clear message from Taipei this month after the Taiwanese Navy announced that it has launched the first of its heavily armed “carrier killer” corvettes.
The domestically-produced vessels have been touted as a key component to the independent island nation’s defense efforts against its mainland neighbor. The corvettes, which have earned the nickname “aircraft carrier killers,” are armed with subsonic and supersonic missiles.
2020/12/15 16:24 Tuo Chiang-class guided-missile corvette. (Lungteh image) Tuo Chiang-class guided-missile corvette. (Lungteh image) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Taiwan s Navy on Tuesday (Dec. 15) launched its first heavily armed corvette, nicknamed the aircraft carrier killer (航母殺手) due to its armament of subsonic and supersonic missiles. During a ceremony at Lungteh Shipyard in Yilan s Su-ao Township on Tuesday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) presided over the launch of Taiwan s first domestically built Tuo Chiang-class guided-missile corvette. Not to be confused with the Anping-class offshore patrol vessel, the first of which was launched by the Coast Guard Administration on Friday (Dec. 11), the Navy s version is much more heavily armed, as it is designed for combat with Chinese warships.