Taiwan boosts asymmetric warfare capabilities

Taipei City [Taiwan], July 6: It is expected that in the first days of July, Taiwan will officially put into operation 2 Da Jiang class frigates, according to the South China Morning Post. This class of warship is known as " aircraft carrier killer ", with a maximum speed of 45 nautical miles/hour.
Strengthening the force
Thus, if not counting the first experimental Da Jiang ship commissioned in 2014, the new phase of Da Jiang frigates now has 6 ships. Of these, 4 were commissioned in 2024 alone and the other 2 were commissioned in 2021 and 2023.
Although it has a full displacement of only about 700 tons and a length of just over 60 meters, the Da Giang frigate possesses multi-role combat capabilities. Specifically, in addition to the OTO Melara 76 mm main gun and the Phalanx close-in artillery system, this frigate line also has the Thien Kiem II air-to-air missile with a speed of Mach 6 (6 times the speed of sound), the Hung Phong 2 anti-ship missile with a maximum range of 250 km and a speed of over 1,000 km/h. In particular, the Da Giang frigate can also carry the Hung Phong 3 missile with a maximum range of over 400 km and a maximum speed of Mach 3.5 (3.5 times the speed of sound, about 4,300 km/h).
Another advantage of the Da Jiang-class warship is its powerful stealth capabilities, as it can be seen on radar with the size of a small fishing boat. The ship also has a modern electronic warfare system. Therefore, the Da Jiang frigate can operate effectively in shallow or coastal waters - areas where larger ships such as destroyers find it more difficult to operate. Therefore, when combined with the above firepower and fast speed, the Da Jiang-class warship can become an "aircraft carrier killer" with fast combat capabilities, suitable for asymmetric warfare of the "small against big" type. According to the plan, the next generation of Da Jiang frigates will also be deployed soon.
In addition, in mid-June, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency - US Department of Defense reported that Washington had approved a weapons order worth more than 360 million USD to provide more than 1,000 suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Taipei. Specifically, the order includes 720 Switchblade 300 (SB300) and 291 Altius 600M-V (version of the Altius 600M line). These are UAV lines carrying warheads, can fly to find targets and then attack. If the Switchblade 300 (SB300) has an operating range of only 10 km, the Altius 600M has a flying range of up to 400 km and is capable of searching for targets for 4 hours, and can be easily launched from small vehicles, helicopters, warships, etc.
Strategic shift
Both of these suicide UAVs have proven their combat effectiveness in the conflict in Ukraine, meeting the asymmetric warfare capabilities well. Therefore, the purchase of Switchblade 300 (SB300) and Altius 600M-V as well as the reinforcement of the "carrier killer" frigates represents a major shift for Taiwan.
Taiwan has long focused on adding traditional missiles or fighter jets like the F-16. Therefore, the way Taiwan has recently strengthened its military capabilities shows that the island government has drawn many practical lessons from the conflict in Ukraine with an asymmetric warfare orientation.
Recently, Mr. Lee Hsi-ming, former Chief of General Staff of Taiwan's Defense Forces and former commander of the island's maritime defense force, gave many analyses showing that Taipei is focusing more on asymmetric warfare capabilities with highly flexible and accurate weapons. Among them, cheap suicide UAVs are considered a suitable choice.
He said the lessons of Ukraine show that "more agile, asymmetric weapons will be important for the island to resist for a long time" while waiting for support from partners like the United States. He said asymmetric capabilities focus on "low-cost weapons". "The key is to have large numbers. Just a few will not be effective. Ukraine has proven that," Mr. Ly emphasized.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper