Taiwan on Tuesday put into service its first missile boats featuring what the navy described as "stealth" technologies, aimed at boosting defence capabilities against rival China.
Being small helps, too. And being able to hide among ground clutter close to shore until they move out to strike an invasion flotilla will help them survive long enough to inflict damage on the Chinese navy.
These are the types of vessels the Taiwanese navy needs in the strait--along with conventional submarines. The big ships are just too valuable to risk in the strait when the Chinese surge naval and air power into the strait to gain control to allow an invasion.
Their bigger ships need to operate east of the island to help keep their sea lines of communication open to the outside world in case of war.
