In an exclusive interview with Naval News editor Xavier Vavasseur, Levi Catton of Leidos Gibbs & Cox showcased a new Corvette design based off their International Frigate, two variants of which are currently in production in Taiwan.
Gibbs & Cox’s efforts for a new corvette was born out of expressed interest of interviewed navies for a design smaller than the International-class of frigates. This operational need gave way to the new International-class Corvette, a down scaled design based heavily off the architecture present in the International-class light Frigate.
The Corvette’s design stands at about 88 meters (288.7 feet) in length and integrates much of the equipment present in the in class of frigates into a smaller package. Due the corvette’s smaller size it can be built in several lower tier shipyards across Australia (and elsewhere) with a reduced cost at the penalty of some of the frigate’s capabilities.
International-class corvettes are primarily designed around being utility vessels, with a sizable utility deck capable of carrying several 20 foot cargo containers and the ability to field containerized modular mission packages. Additionally, the vessel carries a flight deck capable of landing helicopters and 2 bays for RHIBs (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats) and features an all diesel power plant.
“Absolutely a U.S design heritage, U.S Navy toughness standards, absolutely built for long, tough service.” Levi Catton, Managing Director for Leidos Gibbs & Cox Australia
Both the International-classes of frigates and corvettes are built with a 40 year design life in mind, and hail from a U.S design lineage with both classes of vessels built to last. Gibbs & Cox are currently open to both Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and direct commercial sales.
The light frigates currently under construction in Taiwan are based off Gibbs and Cox International Frigate design . Two vessels are currently in production in two configurations: One focused on anti-air warfare and the other built for anti-submarine warfare. Here is Naval News’ latest update on the program by Taiwan-based contributor Tso Juei Hsu.
Just like the newly unveiled International Corvette, the International Frigate was designed to be easily produced by lower tier shipyards around the world. Weapons and sensors systems configuration can vary depending on end-user needs. The displayed frigate scale model at Indo Pacific 2025 featured Naval Strike Missile Launchers, Mk-41 VLS cells, and the AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite. For the record, an Australian variant of the frigate was showcased during Indo Pacific 2023. It featured a CEA radar suite. Gibbs and Cox was pitching it for SEA3000 / Royal Australian Navy’s Tier 2 requirement. The company was unsuccessful in its bid however.
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