Taiwan Navy Kang Ding frigate enters dry dock for major missile upgrade.

The Taiwanese Navy frigate Kang Ding (PFG-1202) entered a CSBC Corporation Taiwan dry dock in Kaohsiung on January 3, 2026, as part of a fleetwide combat system performance improvement program valued at approximately NT$43.1599 billion.

As reported by United Daily News on January 3, 2026, the Taiwanese frigate Kang Ding (PFG-1202) entered a CSBC Corporation Taiwan dry dock in Kaohsiung on January 3, 2026, already displaying clear signs of pre-refit preparation consistent with the ongoing Kang Ding-class combat system performance improvement program. The modernization effort, valued at approximately NT$43.1599 billion, covers all six frigates and is scheduled for completion by 2030.
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The frigate Kang Ding, bearing pennant number PFG-1202, is the lead ship of the class and has been in active service since its commissioning in May 1996, with its homeport at Zuoying Naval Base. (Picture source: Taiwan MoD)

This step follows the completion of modernization work on the Chen De (PFG-1208), which became the first Kang Ding-class frigate to undergo the full combat system performance improvement package. Chen De has already been fitted with the new missile launch architecture, upgraded sensors, and revised combat management systems, and is expected to conduct live-fire verification with the Sea Sword II (TC-2N) surface-to-air missile in the near term. This phase is intended to check whether the new radar, command systems, and missiles work together properly at sea. The transition of Chen De toward at-sea testing while Kang Ding enters the yard suggests that the program is now affecting more than one ship at a time to maintain a certain fleet availability.

A major change introduced by the modernization concerns the ship’s missile arrangement, beginning with the removal of the legacy RIM-72C Sea Chaparral launcher from the B position. The Sea Chaparral system, which offered an effective engagement range of only 3 to 4 km, is being replaced by the domestically developed Hua Yang vertical launch system (VLS). The installed configuration consists of an eight-cell launcher capable of quad-packing, allowing a total of 32 Sea Sword II missiles to be carried aboard each frigate. This significantly increases the number of ready-to-fire interceptors and supports repeated engagements against multiple airborne threats. The Sea Sword II is a medium-range, active radar-guided missile with an engagement range commonly cited at around 30 km, enabling the Kang Ding frigates to engage aircraft and incoming missiles well beyond the limits of their previous point-defense system.

Equally significant are the radar changes, which are already visible on Kang Ding prior to docking. Approximately two-thirds of the structure supporting the Hai Shen G (Triton-G) low-altitude search radar aft of the main mast had been removed, signaling preparation for a new sensor fit. The modernization replaces the older two-dimensional and low-altitude DRBV-26D Jupiter II and Triton-G radars with the more capable Type 997 Artisan three-dimensional radar. The Artisan radar provides full 3D air-search capability, improved resistance to clutter and electronic interference, and the ability to track hundreds of air and surface targets simultaneously. Its typical instrumented range is often cited at over 200 km, with much higher track update rates than the older two-dimensional systems, directly improving detection range, altitude discrimination, and target tracking performance, which are necessary to support the expanded missile capability provided by the new vertical launch system.

At the program level, the combat system performance improvement effort applies to all six Kang Ding-class frigates and is funded at approximately NT$43.1599 billion, with execution planned through 2030. The scope includes combat management system upgrades, integration of new radars and electro-optical sensors, installation of the Hua Yang VLS, and associated software and hardware integration to ensure compatibility between French-origin ship architecture and domestically developed weapons. The Taiwanese Navy plans to refit the ships sequentially, generally at a rate of one ship per year, to balance modernization progress with operational availability and avoid excessive gaps in surface combatant readiness.

The Kang Ding-class frigates were conceived in the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of Taiwan’s Kuang Hua naval modernization program, which aimed to replace aging surface combatants and improve anti-submarine and escort capabilities in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan selected a derivative of the French La Fayette-class design, emphasizing reduced radar signature and long-endurance patrols, and ordered six ships under a contract finalized in 1991. Hulls were built in France between 1993 and 1998, but political restrictions prevented the delivery of several planned French weapons and sensors, including medium-range surface-to-air missile systems. As a result, the ships entered service equipped with a mixed suite of U.S.-supplied and domestically developed systems, most notably the short-range RIM-72C Sea Chaparral for air defense, which limited effective engagement range to only a few kilometers. All six ships were commissioned between 1996 and 1998 and have remained in continuous service, primarily tasked with escort operations, anti-submarine warfare, and sea control missions, despite their acknowledged air-defense limitations.

The frigate Kang Ding (PFG-1202) is the lead ship of the class and was commissioned into the Republic of China Navy in May 1996, with Zuoying Naval Base as its homeport. The ship has a standard displacement of about 3,200 tonnes and a full-load displacement of approximately 3,800 tonnes, with an overall length of about 125 m, a beam of 15.4 m, and a draught of around 4.1 m. Propulsion is provided by four SEMT Pielstick diesel engines driving two shafts, enabling a maximum speed of roughly 25 kn and an operational range of about 4,000 nautical miles at cruising speed. In its baseline configuration, Kang Ding was armed with eight Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles, a 76 mm OTO Melara main gun, two 40 mm Bofors guns, a Phalanx close-in weapon system, and two Mk-32 torpedo tube sets, while also operating one S-70C(M) helicopter for anti-submarine tasks. After nearly three decades of service across patrol, escort, and maritime security roles, the ship is now undergoing combat system performance improvements to address sensor and air-defense gaps identified since its original commissioning.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.