King Sejong the Great class destroyer

The "Sejong the Great" class destroyers (Sejongdaewang-Ham or Hangul: 세종대왕급 구축함), also known as KDX-III, are guided missile destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship was launched 25th May 2007, sponsored by Kwon Yang-sook, the First Lady of the Republic of Korea at time and is expected to be commissioned in 2008. It will be deployed for naval operations in 2009 after one-and-a-half years of test operations. As of 2007, the ROK Navy had committed to 3 units with an option on three more.

Background

The ship features the Aegis combat system (Baseline 7 Phase 1) combined with AN/SPY-1D multi-function radar antennae.

The "Sejong the Great" class is the third phase of the Republic of Korea Navy's Korean Destroyer eXperimental (KDX) program, a substantial shipbuilding program, which is geared toward enhancing ROKN's ability to successfully defend the maritime areas around Korea from various modes of threats as well as becoming a blue-water navy.

The standard displacement of the "Sejong the Great" class is 7,650 tonnes, while its full load displacement is 10,290 tonnes.

Armaments

"Sejong the Great" class destroyers' main gun is the 127mm/L62 Mk. 45 Mod 4 naval gun, an improved version of the same gun used on other warships from several foreign nations.

Point-defense armaments include a single 30 mm Goalkeeper CIWS and a RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Block 1 21-round launcher, the first Aegis platform to carry RAM. [http://www.deagel.com/pandora/kdx-iii_pm00212001.aspx]

Anti-aircraft armament is consisted of SM-2 Block IIIB in 80-cell VLS.

Anti-Submarine Warfare armaments consists of both K-ASROC Hong Sahng-uh" (Red Shark) anti-submarine rockets and 32 K745 LW "Cheong Sahng-uh" (Blue Shark) torpedoes.

Anti-ship capability is provided by SSM-700K "Hae Sung" (Sea Star) long-range anti-ship missile with performance similar to the American Harpoon. The ship will carry 32 of these missiles.

Land-attack capability is provided by the recently-developed Hyunmoo IIIC (Guardian of the Northern Sky) cruise missile similar to the American Tomahawk.

Missile

* VLS: 128 cell
** Mk 41 VLS 80 cell (Fwd)
*** SM-2 Block IIIB
** K-VLS 48 cell (Aft)
*** K-ASROC (Korean ASROC)
*** Hyunmoo IIIC (similar to Tomahawk)
*4 x 4 (16) Hae Sung (similar to Harpoon)
*1 x 21 RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM)

Capabilities

"Sejong the Great" class destroyers' are often compared to "Arleigh Burke" class and "Atago" class because they utilize the AN/SPY-1 multi-function radar, have similar propulsion and capabilities. One notable difference between the "Sejong the Great"s and "Burke"s is the number of VLS cells. "Sejong the Great"s will have a capacity of 128 missiles, as opposed to 96 on the "Arleigh Burke" class and the Japanese "Atago" class destroyers. Another similarity to "Arleigh Burke" class Flight IIA and "Atago" class destroyers is the presence of full facilities for two helicopters, a feature missing from earlier "Arleigh Burke" and Kongō class destroyers.

Equipment

*AN/SPY-1D(V5) multi-function radar, four antenna arrays, single deck house.
*AN/SPG-62 fire control radar
*Atlas Elektronik Bow-mounted DSQS-21 BZ-M sonar
*MTeQ towed array sonar system.
*LIG Nex1 SLQ-200(V)1K "Sonata" electronic warfare suite. [http://www.nex1.co.kr/]

Hull names

In April 20, 2007, Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy announced that the lead ship of KDX-III class destroyers will be referred as the "Sejong the Great". King Sejong the Great (Hangul:세종대왕) is the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He is accredited with the creation of the Korean alphabet, Hangul. The name "Ahn Yong-Bok" was briefly considered for the ship's name as early as 2005. [Yonhap news agency, Seoul. South Korean navy mulls naming destroyer after defender of disputed islands. March 28, 2005.]

Ships in the class

References

See also

* Korean Destroyer eXperimental
* "Gwanggaeto the Great" class destroyer (KDX-I)
* "Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin" class destroyer (KDX-II)

External links

* [http://www.navy.mil.kr/pds/weapon/warship_10.jsp ROKN website on KDX-III destroyer]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rok/kdx-3.htm KDX-III Destroyer]
* [http://www.deagel.com/pandora/kdx-iii_pm00212001.aspx KDX-III armaments]