Surviving in the Strait

China is doing what I've urged (see here) in regard to our new LCS (and smaller ships) in regard to Taiwan: China is apparently happy with its new catamaran Type 022 " Houbei" missile boats. They have built 40 so far, and production continues. The 220 ton, 132 foot (42.6 meter) boats have a top speed of 65 kilometers an hour and a crew of twelve. The ships have a variety of missiles, some of which require external targeting or can work with pre-programmed coordinates. As Strategypage notes: The endurance of these ships is short, normally not more than a few days. The 022s are meant for coastal defense, or offensive operations against nearby objectives, like Taiwan Large ships have little room to maneuver in the Taiwan Strait and are too vulnerable to enemy aircraft and land-based weapons to operate for long. Yes, this applies to PLAN vessels, but if China can get temporary air control over the strait, that's all they'll need. But if we can contest air control and put our own smaller ships in the area--supported by long-range weapons deployed east of Taiwan--we'll be the ones dominating the strait.