(Observer Network) Taiwan’s new 600-ton patrol ship has begun to lay its keels, and it will also become Taiwan’s first coast guard ship equipped with rockets.
According to Taiwan media reports on June 18, the Taiwan "Coast Guard Administration" Fleet Division stated on the 18th that the new 600-ton first patrol ship (CG137) and 35-ton patrol boat (PP3581) of the Coast Guard held a blessing ceremony for the placement of keels in Kaohsiung on the 18th. The ship's expected image released by the Fleet Division is equipped with the " Zhenhai Rocket" developed by the Taiwan "Chinese Academy of Sciences".
Taiwan's 600-ton patrol ship imagined picture. Picture from Taiwan media
Taiwan's "Coast Guard Administration" Fleet Division pointed out through a Facebook post that after the start of construction of the third 35-ton patrol boat, the Fleet Division held the first joint keel arrangement ceremony of the "600-ton ship and 35-ton boat" on the 18th. It is looking forward to the successful completion of the ships that are preparing to build the "Coast Guard Ship Development Plan" one after another, adding a new force to the "Coast Guard" and injecting new energy on maritime duty in Taiwan. The
Fleet Division stated that the "600-ton ship construction plan" is expected to build 12 ships and will be delivered in succession from 2020 to 2034.
Taiwan's "Chinese Academy of Sciences" released data, pointing out that the "Zhenhai Rocket" has a range of about 10 kilometers and can carry 42 2.75-inch (70 mm) rockets, responsible for surface melee defense tasks, and has the ability to intimidate and attack targets within the firing range. The system has remote control and fire-intensive shooting mode, and is equipped with a thermal imaging system. It can take on ship alert tasks all day long, reducing the risk of personnel in combat and saving manpower.
The "Coast Guard Administration" once explained the equipment of rockets, saying that after investigation, the maximum force of the Japanese, North Korea and mainland coastal patrol ships was 76mm naval gun , which was stronger than the 40mm naval gun currently equipped with Taiwan's 1,000-ton patrol ships above the level. In addition, the 40 naval gun of the Taiwan Coast Guard ship is an air defense and anti-ship dual-purpose naval gun assigned by the Taiwan Navy. It is a military weapon purchased from foreign countries through military purchase pipelines. Because the Taiwan Navy still has a demand for the use of the 40 naval gun, it can no longer be allocated for the newly built 600-ton patrol ships of the "Progress of the Coast Guard Ship Development Plan" implemented in 2018.
When the "Coast Guard Administration" was carrying out maritime patrol missions, the firepower of the "unidentified illegal" target was difficult to measure. Taking into account factors such as the needs of the Coast Guard mission, the force of the coastal patrols of various countries, the deterrence of firepower, independent production on the island and subsequent maintenance timeliness, the "70mm rocket weapon system" developed by the "Central Academy of Sciences" replaced the 40-ship gun and named it "Zhenhai Rocket Weapon System".
