The US$1.75 billion agreement with France in the early 1990s was an example of this procurement strategy:[1] the six ships are configured for both anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and surface attack.

The Sea Chaparral SAM system is considered inadequate for defense against aircraft and anti-ship missiles, so the ROCN plans to upgrade its air-defense capabilities with the indigenous TC-2N in 2020.

[2] The missiles will be quad-packed in a vertical launch system for future ROCN surface combatants,[3] but a less-risky alternative arrangement of above-deck, fixed oblique launchers is seen as more likely for upgrading these French-built frigates.

The class's Mk 75 main guns have been upgraded and have an improved firing rate of 100 rounds a minute.

[8] Arms dealer Andrew Wang fled Taiwan to the UK after the body of presumptive whistleblower Captain Yin Ching-feng was found floating in the sea.