Kee Lung-class (Kidd)

Summary

Description

The Kidd-class destroyers, initially built for the former Imperial Iranian Navy, were commissioned into the United States Navy following the cancellation of their delivery due to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. These destroyers, derived from the Spruance class, were primarily purposed for advanced anti-aircraft warfare, although they retained significant anti-submarine capabilities. They featured considerable upgrades from their predecessors, such as enhanced air conditioning, additional dust separators, and increased water distillation capacity, adaptations that made them well-suited for Middle Eastern climates.

The class consisted of four ships: USS Kidd (DDG-993), USS Callaghan (DDG-994), USS Scott (DDG-995), and USS Chandler (DDG-996), each named after a U.S. Navy Admiral who perished in combat during World War II. In operation, they were mainly utilized in the Persian Gulf and had been nicknamed the "Ayatollah" class.

Throughout their service from the early 1980s to the late 1990s, these destroyers underwent the "New Threat Upgrade," facilitating integrated missile control with Aegis-equipped ships. However, the introduction of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers equipped with Aegis systems accelerated the retirement of the Kidd class. Despite initial sale considerations to Australia and Greece, both nations declined the offer.

Subsequently, all four ships were sold to the Republic of China Navy for a total of $732 million. They were reactivated and transferred to Taiwan under the Kuang Hua VII program, which included upgraded hardware and a reduction in missile loadout. The ships underwent reactivation in Charleston, South Carolina, and were delivered to Taiwan between December 2005 and November 2006. Renamed the Kee Lung class, each ship was named after a military port in Taiwan: Kee Lung (ex-Scott), Su Ao (ex-Callaghan), Tso Ying (ex-Kidd), and Ma Kong (ex-Chandler).

The Legislature Yuan in Taiwan initially funded only half the missiles the destroyers could carry, leading to the supplementary purchase of SM-2 missiles in 2007. There has been speculation since 2014 about replacing the Standard Missile system on these vessels with a navalized Sky Bow missile system. However, no concrete plans for a compatible Sky Bow III missile have been documented.

Technical specifications