Taiwanese coast guard receives second Anping-class patrol boat

The Republic of China (RoC) Coast Guard received the second of a planned fleet of 12 Anping-class missile-capable patrol boats on 25 June.

Named Cheng Kung (also spelled Chenggong ), the 65.4 m-long, 14.8-m wide vessel (pennant number CG 602) was handed over in a ceremony held at the facilities of the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Group in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, according to a statement by Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration.

The RoC Coast Guard received on 25 June Cheng Kung (CG-602), its second Anping-class patrol vessel, in a ceremony held at the facilities of the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Group in Kaohsiung. (RoC Coast Guard Administration)

The crew will now undergo weapons training on the ship before it is formally deployed in waters off eastern Taiwan to “protect maritime rights and the interests of local fishermen”, according to the statement.

First-of-class Anping (CG 601) was commissioned in December 2020.

The Anping class, which has a standard displacement of 700 tonnes, is based on the RoC Navy's Tuo Chiang (also spelled Tuo Jiang) class of fast missile corvettes.

The ships feature a wave-piercing catamaran hull form, waterjet propulsion, a low radar cross-section (RCS) design, and can reach a maximum speed of 44.5 kt. The class has a hull draught of 2.1 m and a standard range of 2,000 n miles at 12 kt.

The ships, each of which can embark an unmanned aerial vehicle and a medium-sized helicopter, are fitted with a high-pressure water cannon with a maximum range of 120 m. They are also armed with two T-75S 20 mm remote weapon stations and 42 Chen Hai (Sea Guard) 70 mm guided rockets, according to Janes Fighting Ships .