Taiwan to construct stealth warship

Source: AHN

Taiwan on Monday disclosed its plans to construct a 'stealth' warship armed with guided-missiles.

Deputy Defence Minister Lin Yu-pao said that they would start building the prototype of the 500-ton corvette in 2012 and hopes to complete it in 2014.

The comments of Lin, who is also a top Taiwanese military official, came in response to a question by legislator Lin Yu-fang of Kuomintang party at the Parliament. The legislator added that the warship is designed in a way that will be difficult to detect on radar.

It is likely to be included in the service at the time when China will put its first battle carrier group into service. The politician also said that eight lethal Hsiung-feng III anti-ship supersonic missiles as well as eight home-grown Hsiung-feng II ship-to-ship missiles will be armed in the twin-hulled boat.

The Taiwan’s move came amid news that China is restoring an old Soviet aircraft carrier, The Varyag, which it bought in 1998. Head of the Kanwa Information Center, which monitors China's military, Andrei Chang said that the aircraft carrier would be used as a model for upcoming indigenously-built ship in future. The ship is currently docked at the northeast port of Dalian.