On May 16, a cross-party group of ROC legislators visited Keelung Harbor in northern Taiwan to inspect the latest patrol boat outfitted with the Hsiung Feng III supersonic missile. Dubbed the “aircraft carrier killer” by analysts at home and abroad, the weapon is quickly shaping up as the country’s most effective military deterrent.
Led by ruling Kuomintang lawmaker Lin Yu-fang, who convenes the Legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, the group watched sailors simulate an HF-3 launch and conduct combat readiness drills. Andrew N.D. Yang, deputy defense minister, was also on hand to bring the lawmakers up to speed concerning an NT$12 billion (US$406 million) program for equipping navy vessels with the HF-3.
Announced in May 2011, the Ministry of National Defense plan involves outfitting patrol boats, frigates and an under-development fast-attack corvette with 120 of the missiles. Modification work is under way on the patrol boats, which will eventually bristle with four HF-3 launchers apiece.
Manufactured by Taoyuan-based Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, the Ministry of National Defense’s main R&D outfit, the missile entered service two years ago and around 250 are operational. It was first unveiled to much acclaim in 2007 during a National Day military parade in Taipei City.
There is no question that the HF-3 significantly enhances the nation’s defense capabilities and is an important part of the ROC armed forces’ arsenal. By deploying the missile on patrol boats and frigates, the military dramatically increases its chances of neutralizing threats posed by seaborne invasions and vessels such as aircraft carriers.
This application has taken on greater importance given mainland China’s relentless drive to strengthen the offensive capabilities of its navy.
In April last year, Beijing’s first aircraft carrier steamed out of Dalian Port in northeast Liaoning province for sea trials. Tentatively named Shi Lang after the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) general who claimed Taiwan in 1683, the vessel symbolizes the growing strength and competitiveness of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
Over the past 12 months, the vessel has undergone six sea trials and is expected to go into service by year-end. Initially, it will be used for training purposes but could easily be reassigned to combat duties if the need arises.
But this news is hardly surprising. ROC defense planners have long predicted that mainland China would commission a carrier by 2020 and have drafted contingency plans based on the HF-3.
For over two decades, reports emanating from the Middle Kingdom have tipped the communist leadership’s hand on creating a carrier force as part of a drive to achieve blue-water naval capability. In 1982, the PLAN initiated a feasibility study on the design and construction of flattops. Three years later, an Australian carrier was acquired for scrap, with naval architects and engineers giving the vessel a thorough going over before its landing deck was removed and retained intact for pilot training.
Throughout the 1990s rumors continued to swirl linking mainland China with homegrown carrier projects, as well as purchases from France and Spain. By 2000, Beijing had acquired three flattops built for the former Soviet Union; two of the vessels became floating tourist attractions with the third now garnering headlines worldwide.
In recent days, however, this situation has changed dramatically. Tsai Teh-sheng, head of the ROC National Security Bureau, reported May 21 to the Legislature that Beijing is moving to build two aircraft carriers. Work on the conventionally powered vessels will start in 2013 and 2015, respectively, with delivery dates of 2020 and 2022.
There is little argument that mainland China’s piecemeal acquisition of carrier technology over the years has probably put it in a position where realizing this goal is now a strong possibility. But the real question is whether Beijing has the wherewithal to tackle the astronomical logistical and financial challenges associated with such a project. With global economic uncertainties biting hard, the communist leadership may well be split on whether to risk the fiscal consequences of gambling on such an ambitious naval program.
Modern carrier task forces comprise more than just flattops. Numerous vessels, including guided-missile cruisers, anti-aircraft warships and destroyers, are required to screen these massive assets from missile and torpedo strikes. As Moscow can attest from its pre- and post-Soviet Union days, maintaining such fleets is a heavy drain on the treasury and can become too much to bear in the long run.
Although some claim this development could force the ROC’s entire defense strategy to be overhauled, the HF-3 deployment puts paid to this notion. The missile offers the country more than a fighting chance of maintaining the cross-strait status quo, and is in line with ROC President Ma Ying-jeou’s policy of maintaining a rock solid defense and effective deterrence military strategy characterized by innovative and asymmetrical thinking.
Developing weapons of a defensive nature that help preserve the sovereignty of the ROC, safeguard the security of Taiwan and contribute to regional peace are par for the course when it comes to effective national security policymaking. The HF-3 perfectly fits the bill and reaffirms that the government’s defense strategy is right on track.
Michael Gooch is a freelance writer based in Lienchiang County. These views are the author’s and not necessarily those of Taiwan Today. Copyright © 2012 by Michael Gooch
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