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has ever operated. Equipped with SM-2 Block IIIA
and RGM-84L Block II Harpoon missiles, the ships
provided the navy with enhanced modern air defense
and anti-surface warfare capabilities.
The navy has also focused on recapitalizing its fleet
of small missile boats. Since 2005, it has retired all 48 of
its 1970s-era Hai Ou-class ships, replacing them with
31 Kwang Hua VI-class vessels. The larger but stealthier
Kwang Huas carry a slightly larger, more modern
armament of anti-ship cruise missiles. In March 2014,
the navy received the Tuo River, the first of up to 12
new fast-attack missile boats that have been dubbed
“carrier killers” in Taiwan. Also described as corvettes,
the craft will be stealthy and armed with eight
anti-ship cruise missiles. 21
Taiwan’s navy continues to prioritize modernizing
its undersea force as well. It has two Dutch submarines
built in the 1980s and two World War II-era,
U.S. GUPPY-class submarines, all four of which are in
need of replacement. (The GUPPY-class submarines
are now used only for training.)
In 2000, U.S. President George W. Bush agreed to
sell Taiwan eight new diesel-electric submarines. For
a variety of reasons, none of them have been built or
sold. While the Taiwanese navy continues to insist
that acquiring new submarines is a priority—they
would be particularly useful for counterblockade and
anti-surface warfare missions—it has continued to upgrade
munitions for its two deployable Dutch boats.
Last year, the navy received 32 submarine-launched
anti-ship cruise missiles from the United States, which
may also allow for strikes on Chinese coastal targets. 22
The navy has been upgrading not only its fleet but
also its maritime air capabilities. Most notable in this
regard is the purchase of 12 P-3C Orion patrol aircraft
212