Taiwan’s Navy Requests US$1 Billion For Missile-armed Boats

Taiwan’s Navy is looking to build 50-ton fast-attack missile boats as tensions rise with China in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan-based Central New Agency (CAN) reported on August 31.

The report said that the Navy requested the government for NT$31.6 billion (US$1.02 billion) to build missile-armed vessels, under the national annual defense budget which was submitted for legislative review last Friday. 

The missile-armed boats are part of an effort to strengthen Taiwan's asymmetric warfare capabilities in the face of a growing military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait, CAN quoted a high-ranking defense official as saying.

The envisioned boats will be relatively small, fast and capable of being armed with missiles, guns or torpedoes, report said.

The planned attack boats will be equipped in particular with two Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles, the official quoted in the CNA report said.

The Navy’s defense proposal also seeks NT$917.77 million to build four naval minelayers to deter enemy ships, the same official said.