South Korea Armed Forces

[SOUTHie]

Dokdo class amphibious assault ship (Landing Platform Helicopter)

​

Boats & landing
craft carried:

2 LCAC (LSF-II)

Sensors and
processing systems: SMART-L air search radar, MW08surface search radar, AN/SPS-95K navigation radar, TACAN, VAMPIR-MB optronic sight

Electronic warfare
& decoys: ESM/ECM:SLQ-200(v)5K SONATA, Chaff launcher

Propulsion: 4 SEMT Pielstick 16 PC2.5 STC marine Diesel engine
24 MW (32,000 shp)

Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h) maximum
18 knots (33 km/h) cruising

Capacity: Up to 200 vehicles (Including Tanks)

Troops: 720 marines

Armament: 2 × Goalkeeper CIWS
1 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile
Aircraft carried: Up to 10 helicopters
(UH-1H, UH-60P or Super Lynx)

Aviation facilities Flight deck with 5 landing spots and hangar




Description:
Dokdo Class Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH)
ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111) is the Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). The LPH was built by Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction in Busan. The ship was named after the Dokdo islets in the East Sea.

The lead ship in its class, ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111), was launched in July 2005 and commissioned into the ROKN in July 2007. The ROKN also planned to deploy two similar ships intended for strategic mobile units. The second and third units will be named Marado (LPH 6112) and Baengnyeong (LPH 6113).

Dokdo LPH acts as a command and control platform for the maritime mobile fleet and supports three-dimensional landing operations as well as maritime air operations. It can also be deployed in a range of operations including in support of national overseas policy, peacekeeping operations, disaster recovery, counter-terrorism operations and national prestige enhancement.

Dokdo is the largest vessel in the South Korean Navy. It has almost similar specifications compared to the Spanish Navy’s aircraft carrier Príncipe de Asturias and the Thai Navy’s Chakri Naruebet light aircraft carrier.

Design and features
The hull is divided into four decks to accommodate helicopters, assault amphibious vehicles (AAV), landing craft air cushion (LCAC), tanks and trucks. Accommodation facilities, command posts and crew life support systems are located on deck 2.
Developed based on the concept of over-the-horizon assaults, Dokdo can conduct amphibious landing operations with high-speed LCAC and helicopters from beyond the horizon.

The ship’s combat data system manages and controls onboard weapons and allows the ship to command support vessels and aircraft in the strategic mobile operation fleet.
The ship has an overall length of 199m, a width of 31m and a draught of 7m. The standard displacement of the vessel is 14,000t and full load displacement is 18,000t. The LPH can carry over 700 marines, 10 trucks, six tanks, six AAVs, three field artillery pieces, 10 helicopters and two LCACs. Dokdo can complement more than 330 crew members.

Aircraft capabilities
The flight deck can accommodate five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at a time. The aircraft hangar facility is provided for UH-60 helicopter and the AH-1 attack helicopter. The aeroplane shed on the lower deck is a multi-layer structure equipped with elevators.

The flight deck is covered with Urethane to withstand the heat created by the aircraft during operations.

The ship can operate short-range and VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft such as the Harrier or F-35B, when equipped with a ski jump board module.
The LPH is armed with RIM-116 RAM (rolling airframe missile) system. RAM is an infrared homing surface-to-air missile used against anti-ship cruise missiles.

The missile can travel at a maximum speed of Mach 2 while carrying a blast fragmentation warhead for a range of 9km. The ship is also fitted with two goalkeeper close-in weapon systems (CIWS) supplied by Thales Nederland. The system provides close-point defence against incoming missiles and ballistic shells. The seven barrelled CIWS can fire 4,200 rounds a minute for a maximum range of 2,000m.

Radar technology
The ship’s long range volume search radar is the Thales SMART-L. The radar can detect and track targets within the range of 400km. The ship is also equipped with MW08 surface search radar and AN/SPS-95K navigation radar.

Propulsion system
Dokdo’s propulsion system is based on combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) plant. The propulsion system integrates four S.E.M.T. Pielstick 16 PC2.5 STC diesel engines. These engines were licence built in Korea by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction.

Each engine, rated at 7,650kW, is equipped with sequential turbo charging (STC) system. The CAE Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) monitors and controls the hull, propulsion, electrical distribution, steering and battle damage control systems. The propulsion system provides a maximum speed of 23kt and cruising range of 10,000nm at 18kt speed.

http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/dodko-class/

 

[Khafee]

South Korea to build destroyers that can be fitted with missile interceptors
By Elizabeth Shim

April 30 (UPI) -- South Korea said Tuesday it is closer to building destroyers and attack submarines that could respond to the "changing security environment" on the peninsula.

Seoul's Defense Acquisition Program Administration said at a defense initiative committee meeting the plan is to build KDX-III Batch II Aegis destroyers, and KSS-III 3,000-ton indigenously designed diesel-electric attack submarines, Newsis reported.

The KDX-III Batch-II could be the first South Korea vessel class to be fitted with directed energy weapons, or SM-3 interceptors.

The Aegis destroyers would be an improved version of the 7,600-ton King Sejong-class destroyer that began to be deployed in the South in December 2008.

The next generation South Korean vessels can be equipped with a vertical launcher capable of shooting SM-3 ballistic missiles that can travel to an altitude of about 300 miles, DAPA said.

The future submarines would also include an increased detection range and low-frequency sonar, according to the report.

The three Aegis ships are likely to be built by the year 2028, and will require an investment of $3.3 billion. Hyundai Heavy Industries is to be involved in the exploratory development of the destroyers.

A DAPA official told Newsis the destroyers are being considered to prepare for potential conflicts at sea, and for "overseas peacekeeping operations."

Nuclear talks with North Korea have stalled since February, when Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump failed to reach a deal on denuclearization.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has asked both sides to return to talks, but the road ahead could be long, Moon's unification minister said Tuesday, according to Yonhap.

Kim Yeon-chul told a group of overseas Korean journalists inter-Korea trust building has a long way to go, but that "it is a path that we should take."
North Korea declined to attend a ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the first Moon-Kim summit over the weekend.

South Korea to build destroyers that can be fitted with missile interceptors

 

[Khafee]

South Korea Approves $6.3 Billion Deal for New Warships
03.May.2019

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense has approved the construction of three more KDX-III Sejong the Great-class destroyers, along with three more KSS-III diesel-electric attack submarines. The procurement is worth $6.3 billion.

The Defense Project Promotion Committee, a division of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, decided on Tuesday to OK the $6.3 billion deal, which will enhance South Korea's ballistic missile defenses above the waves and its offensive capabilities below. The vessels are expected to join the Republic of Korea Navy by 2028, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The 11,000-ton Sejong the Great-class destroyers carry the AEGIS Baseline 9 combat system, giving them upgraded air defenses as well as ballistic missile defense. The Diplomat notes the ships, roughly comparable to the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, will carry the SM-2 Block IIIB surface-to-air missile and SM-3 Block IB missie, both of which are made by US defense giant Raytheon and are used for different types of anti-air defense.

While three of the destroyers have been in service with the navy since 2008, the KSS-III submarines, also called the Jangbogo-III-class, are new and of an indigenous design.

The first boat, dubbed "Dosan Ahn Chang-ho," only put to sea for the first time in September 2018, Sputnik reported. The 3,450-ton sub is Seoul's first ballistic missile submarine and by far the largest of South Korea's 18 submarines, sporting 10 vertical launch tubes that can carry either ballistic missiles or cruise missiles.

However, Dosan Ahn Chang-ho is still being tested and won't be delivered to the navy until at least 2020. That hasn't stopped Seoul, though, which hopes to have all four KSS-III subs in service by 2025.

South Korea Approves $6.3 Billion Deal for New Warships

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense has approved the construction of three more KDX-III Sejong the Great-class destroyers, along with three more KSS-III diesel-electric attack submarines. The procurement is worth $6.3 billion.

sputniknews.com

 

[Khafee]

South Korea air force test flies new F-35A stealth fighters
By Elizabeth Shim
MAY 3, 2019

South Korea has begun test flights of the F-35A stealth fighter aircraft. File Photo by Staff Sgt. Kate Thornton/U.S. Air Force


May 3 (UPI) -- The South Korean air force has begun test flights of new F-35A stealth fighter jets, according to multiple press reports.
The Lockheed Martin-manufactured aircraft began training exercises from an air base in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in mid-April, Yonhap reported Friday.

The aircraft made their journey from Luke Air Base in Arizona on March 22, covering a distance of more than 8,500 miles. The F-35A can reach a maximum combat speed of Mach 1.8 and can carry Joint Direct Attack Munition, a guided air-to-surface weapon that converts unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions.

The F-35A's stealth function allows the aircraft to fly undetected by radar, allowing it to better track and destroy enemy missiles.

Local news service EDaily reported Friday the training means the stealth fighters will soon be deployed with South Korea's military.
A South Korean air force representative told EDaily and other press services the strategic deployment is "on schedule."
"We have to carefully check to see if there any malfunctions ahead of strategic deployment," the representative added without providing details, the report said.

South Korea plans to deploy more than 10 F-35A fighter jets by the end of 2019 and 40 aircraft by 2021.
In his most recent summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, President Donald Trump had expressed appreciation for South Korea purchases of U.S. weapons.
South Korea "agreed to purchase a tremendous amount of our military equipment from jet fighters to missiles, to lots of other things," Trump said.

The Donga Ilbo reported other possible purchases could include the MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission helicopter.

Nuclear talks with North Korea have stalled since February, when Kim Jong Un and Trump failed to reach a deal on denuclearization.
North Korea also declined to attend a ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the first Moon-Kim summit over the weekend.

South Korea air force test flies new F-35A stealth fighters - UPI.com

The South Korean air force has begun test flights of new F-35A stealth fighter jets, according to multiple press reports.

www.upi.com

 

[Khafee]

Defense ministry calls on North Korea to halt raising tensions
By Yonhap News Agency
MAY 7, 2019

SEOUL, May 7 (UPI) -- South Korea's defense ministry called on North KoreaTuesday to stop escalating military tensions on the Korean peninsula, expressing concern over Pyongyang's firing of multiple projectiles into the East Sea over the weekend.

On Saturday, North Korea fired "several short-range projectiles" involving a new type of tactical guided weapons and 240-mm and 300-mm multiple rocket launcher systems off the East Coast from Hodo peninsula near its eastern coastal town of Wonsan between 9:06 a.m. and 10:55 a.m., according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

They were spotted flying 70 to 240 kilometers, with their altitude ranging from 20 to 60 km, the JCS added.

"We are deeply concerned about North Korea's launch of multiple projectiles, which violates the spirit of the inter-Korean military agreement," ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun Soo said when asked if Seoul regards the firings as provocations.

"We urge North Korea to halt acts that escalate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula," she added.

In September last year, the two Koreas signed the Comprehensive Military Agreement on the sidelines of the third summit between President Moon JaeIn and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, under which the two sides vowed a series of trust-building and arms-control measures under a broader scheme to halt all hostile acts against each other.

While noting that the South Korean and the U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing exactly what North Korea fired, the South Korean military has said it is not known if the tactical weapons are ballistic missiles or not.

Experts have said, based on analysis of photographs released by the North's Korean Central News agency, they are believed to be short-range, ground-to-ground ballistic missiles, which are known as the North Korean version of Russia's Iskander.

The solid-fuel missiles can fly as far as 300 km, which puts a large part of the Korean Peninsula within their range, and they are capable of neutralizing THAAD, an advanced U.S. anti-missile defense system, and are nearly impossible to eliminate before launch due to their mobility, experts noted.

If confirmed as ballistic missiles, the latest launch could be a source of controversy, as the United Nations Security Council resolution bans the communist nation from all kinds of ballistic missile launches.

On Saturday, the JCS initially announced that North Korea fired "short-range missiles" but later relabeled them as only "projectiles."

Defense ministry calls on North Korea to halt raising tensions - UPI.com

South Korea's defense ministry called on North Korea Tuesday to stop escalating military tensions on the Korean peninsula, expressing concern over Pyongyang's firing of multiple projectiles into the East Sea.

www.upi.com

 

[Khafee]

MAY 8, 2019
Russia reconnaissance planes trespassed South Korea zone, report says
By Elizabeth Shim

May 8 (UPI) -- Two Russian military aircraft entered South Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone multiple times on Friday, and the South took tactical action by scrambling fighter jets, according to a South Korean press report.

Kukmin Ilbo reported Wednesday two Russian Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft entered the KADIZ starting about 8:02 a.m. on Friday, after exiting the JADIZ, or Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone.

South Korea responded with F-15K fighter jets, but soon after Russia told the South the aircraft were en route to a training exercise, according to the report.

The Tu-142 is a Russian maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. On Friday, the planes had entered Korea's air defense zone a total of four times, while flying over the Sea of Japan, or the East Sea.

The Japan Joint Staff were the first to make public the Russian maneuvers in the KADIZ, according to the Kukmin. South Korea's military said they decided not to publicize the incident because "no special movements" were detected, the report says.

Last July, South Korea also scrambled fighter jets after two Russian military planes entered the KADIZ multiple times. South Korea's joint chiefs at the time did issue a statement.

On Friday, the Russian aircraft were going to an exercise being held in Qingdao, China, that took place from April 29 through Saturday.

Russia and China are cooperating more closely on international issues, and Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi is to travel to Moscow on Sunday, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

China's foreign ministry said Wang is traveling upon the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while the two sides celebrate 70 years of diplomatic ties.

Russia's Tass news agency reported Lavrov is to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday.

Russia reconnaissance planes trespassed South Korea zone, report says - UPI.com

Two Russian military aircraft entered South Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone multiple times on Friday, and the South took tactical action by scrambling fighter jets, according to a South Korean press report.

www.upi.com

 

[Khafee]

Can South Korea’s defense shield thwart the North’s new short-range missile?
By: Jeff Jeong  
08 May 2019

North Korea’s test of what appears to be new a short-range ballistic missile may not have been a direct threat to the United States, but experts warn it’s almost certainly an omen of bigger problems on the horizon. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

SEOUL — North Korea’s recent firing of a new type of short-range missile is raising questions about the feasibility of South Korea’s missile defense capability.

On May 4, North Korea fired a salvo of rockets and tactical guided weapons near the east coast city of Wonsan, marking the first military provocation in 17 months, during a live-fire drill reportedly attended by its leader Kim Jong Un. The projectiles flew 70-240 kilometers before crashing into the eastern waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Shin Jong-woo, a senior analyst at the Seoul-based Korea Defense and Security Forum, analyzed photos of the weapons systems released by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency a day after the test launch.

“The newly tested weapon, which had been made public during a military parade last year, appears to the Russian Iskander look-alike,” he said. “The design of wings and warhead shown in the photos resembles that of Iskander, and the North Korean missile seems to copy the solid-propellant, single-stage guided missile of the Russian precision ballistic missile complex.

“The number of wheels for the transporter-erector-launcher is also [the] same.”

Shin Won-shik, a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the new ballistic missile type might be able to penetrate South Korea’s missile defense systems.

“The Iskander missile is known to be capable of maneuvering at different altitudes and trajectories during flight so as to evade anti-ballistic missiles,” the retired three-star general said. “The South Korean missile shield has been developed with a focus on coping with existing ballistic missiles, such as Scud and No Dong missiles, so there are questions if the current missile defense plans are fitted for thwarting the newer missile threat.”

South Korea is on track to build its own low-tier missile shield dubbed the Korea Air and Missile Defense system or KAMD — a network that includes Patriot Advanced Capability-2 and -3 interceptors, ship-based SM-2 missiles, and locally developed medium-range surface-to-air missiles. The U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system was deployed in the southern part of South Korea in 2007 to augment the low-tier, terminal-phase KAMD.

South Korea also has an operational plan to preemptively destroy key North Korean military targets should the North show signs of a missile launch or cross-border attack. The plan is part of the so-called Kill Chain program involving airborne early warning and surveillance assets, precision-guided missiles from fighter jets and ground-based systems.

“The Kill Chain is based on the premise that our military can detect, track and strike targets prior to [an] enemy’s real attacks,” Shin said. “Compared to liquid-fuel missiles, solid-fuel missiles could be fired faster and have greater mobility. In the worst-case scenario, the KAMD and Kill Chain systems may need to be redesigned to thwart the newer threats.”

North Korea’s new missile was likely upgraded from the North’s KN-02 Toksa missile, also modified from the Russian OTR-21 Tochka short-range ballistic missile, according to Shin Jong-woo.

“North Korea has long been developing Russian-origin missile technologies, [though] it’s unclear if the communist regime would have taken those technologies from a third country operating Iskander systems, such as Syria and Algeria,” he added.

Developed in the 1970s as a replacement for the Scud short-range ballistic missile, the Iskander is a road-based mobile launch system that can fire several models of ballistic and cruise missiles. It is said to have at least seven types of missiles with different conventional warheads, including a high-explosive fragmentation warhead and nuclear warheads.

The missile is known to have a range of up to 500 kilometers and controlled with gas-dynamic and aerodynamic control surfaces. It uses small fins to reduce its radar signature.

“The missile is potentially capable of conducting strikes on all areas of South Korea, including key American military installations,” according to Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at Kyungnam University’s Institute of Far Eastern Studies. “What worries most is the missile could carry a nuclear warhead with up to 500 kilograms.”

About 28,500 American forces are stationed in South Korea. The U.S. military’s main headquarters is based in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital Seoul.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo played down the North Korean missile threat in an interview with ABC News on Sunday, noting the missiles are “relatively short range” and “landed in the water east of North Korea and didn’t present a threat to the United States or to South Korea or Japan.”

Can South Korea’s defense shield thwart the North’s new short-range missile?

Some analysts believe the guided weapon could a modified version of the Russian-made Iskander short-range ballistic missile.

www.defensenews.com

 

[Khafee]

Report: Radar in South Korea network could not track missiles
By Elizabeth Shim
MAY 13, 2019

North Korea's latest missiles appear to be similar to the Russian Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile. File Photo by KCNA/UPI | License Photo


May 13 (UPI) -- North Korean missiles tested last week may have been only partly detected in South Korea despite an extensive network of early warning radar in the country, according to a local press report.

EDaily reported Monday the Peace Eye airborne early warning and control aircraft, and early warning systems on Aegis ships, may have not detected the missiles after launch. The South Korean military said the reason why the missiles were not tracked on Aegis destroyers is "currently under analysis," according to the report.

The missiles were tracked largely through the South Korean air force's early warning radar, most likely Green Pine missile-defense radar.

The report comes days after South Korea's joint chiefs of staff may have said there was movement detected of "vehicles" going back and forth at the site launch ahead of the most recent test of North Korean missiles.

South Korean lawmaker Lee Eun-jae had said on Friday there appeared to be a movements of on-the-ground vehicles detected about a minute before launch.

But by Monday South Korean military authorities were refuting Lee's comments, and said it had detected North Korean movements on the ground one minute after, not before, the tests.

South Korea's Peace Eye fleet began to be deployed in 2011-12. A total of four aircraft are deployed in the network, but one aircraft is undergoing maintenance.

North Korea's most recent missiles flew 260 miles and 170 miles. They were launched from Kusong in the northwest last Thursday.

News 1 reported Monday South Korea's military said the projectiles are still under analysis, but experts in Korea and elsewhere say the launch vehicles are similar to the Russian Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile.

Kim Dong-yup, an analyst at Kyungnam University, said the missiles were on display during a North Korean military parade on Feb. 28, according to the report.

The missiles have a range that exceeds 370 miles and can evade interceptors.

Report: Radar in South Korea network could not track missiles - UPI.com

North Korean missiles tested last week may have been only partly detected in South Korea despite an extensive network of early warning radar in the country.

www.upi.com

 

[Khafee]

South Korea, Japan take part in U.S.-led Pacific naval exercise
By Yonhap News Agency
MAY 23, 2019

The U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge moored in Apra Harbor, Santa Rita, Guam, in support of the Pacific Vanguard exercise on Wednesday. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jasen Moreno-Garcia/U.S. Navy


SEOUL, May 23 (UPI) -- South Korea and Japan participated in a U.S.-led naval exercise on Thursday in the first joint maneuvers between the two neighboring countries since their military ties were strained seriously over a radar row, officials said.

The United States asked the two allies to take part in the inaugural Pacific Vanguard exercise, which kicked off in waters off the Pacific island of Guam and the Marianas Island Range Complex for a five-day run, in an apparent effort to help mend ties between Seoul and Tokyo, they said.

The exercise, which brought together more than 3,000 sailors from four Indo-Pacific nations, including Australia, marked the first time that South Korea and Japan took part in joint drills since their military ties soured in December over a military radar row.

"The U.S. called for their joint participation as part of mediation efforts," a Seoul official said, adding that it signals the restoration of bilateral relations and military exchanges in earnest.

The radar row centers on Japan's allegations that a South Korean destroyer locked targeting radar on a Japanese surveillance plane. South Korea has flatly rejected the claim, saying the plane needlessly approached the ship, which was on a normal rescue mission.

Defense ministers of the two neighbors are also likely to meet early next month on the sidelines of an annual forum known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. Top-level defense talks between Seoul and Tokyo were last held in October.

According to U.S. 7th Fleet, the combined exercise focuses on a wide range of naval competencies, such as live-fire exercises, defensive counter-air operations, anti-submarine warfare and replenishment at sea, which aim to "sharpen their skills and strengthen their cooperation at sea."

The USS Blue Ridge, the 7th Fleet's flagship, will lead the operation, with South Korea contributing one destroyer, Japan two destroyers and Australia two frigates, it added.

"Pacific Vanguard joins forces from four, like-minded maritime nations that provide security throughout the Indo-Pacific based on shared values and common interests," fleet commander Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer said.

"This exercise advances the integration of our forces and enables an effective collaborative response to a range of events that might occur in the region," he added.

South Korea, Japan take part in U.S.-led Pacific naval exercise - UPI.com

South Korea and Japan participated in a U.S.-led naval exercise on Thursday in the first joint maneuvers between the two countries since their military ties were strained seriously over a radar row, officials said.

www.upi.com

 

[Khafee]

ROK Navy’s 1st 3000 Tons KSS-III Submarine ‘Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho’ Started Sea Trials
Xavier Vavasseur
23 Jun 2019
View attachment 8416
ROK Navy KSS III submarine 'Dosan Ahn Chang-ho' starting its seat trials.

The DSME-built submarine 'Dosan Ahn Chang-ho' started its seat trials from Opko shipyard on June 10, 2019. It is the first vessel of the KSS-III Batch I program for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoK Navy).

The 3,000 tons submarine should be transferred to the South Korean fleet between 2020 and 2021 with an initial operation capability (IOC) set for January 2022.

With the KSS III program, South Korea has entered the elite club of the few countries able to independently design and build submarines, especially large ones (over 3,000 tons).

For the record, DSME received a contract from the South Korean Ministry of Defense worth $ 1.56 billion to build two large conventional/diesel electric (SSK) KSS III Batch 1 submarines on December 26, 2012. Then, on November 30, 2016, Hyundai Heavy Industries received a contract to build another boat of the first batch. Delivery of all three boats is scheduled for the end of 2023. In total, the plan is to introduce into the RoK Navy fleet nine KSS III submarines by 2029: including three ships of the second and third series each.

• Batch-I consists in the first two hulls to be built by DSME and the third submarine to be built by HHI.
• Batch-II will consist in three hulls with some design changes. They will be fitted with a greater level of South Korean technology. In May 2016, DAPA selected DSME for “KSS-III Batch-II Design and construction of the first hull”.
• Batch-III will consists in the three remaining hulls with more advanced technologies

However, the program of construction of the KSS-III submarines underwent repeated delays for technical and financial reasons, which is to be expected for such major programs.

View attachment 8417
The launch of ‘Dosan An Chang-Ho’ took place on September 14, 2018.

The basic design for a rather large ( 3358 tons surface standard displacement, up to 3800 submerged, for the batch 1) SSK type submarine started in 2004 jointly by Hyundai Heavy Industries and DSME corporations. Local companies LIG Nex1, Hanwha and STX Engine are also involved in the project, as well as British companies BMT and Babcock who provide technical assistance.

Initially, a nuclear powered version was considered, but it was decided in the end that the submarine would be fitted with an air-independent propulsion system similar to the German fuel cell installation used on submarines of the German Type 214 (KSS-II) currently under construction for the South Korean fleet. The KSS-III Batch II vessels are set to feature advanced lithium-ion batteries of South Korean design.

The KSS-III Batch 1 submarine has a length of 83.5 meters, a width of 9.6 meters, and a draft of 7.7 meters. Its maximum submerged speed is 20 knots, and the cruising range at economic speed is 10,000 nautical miles. The crew consists of 50 sailors.

KSS-III Batch 1 submarines are fitted with eight 533-mm torpedo tubes as well as 6x VLS (vertical launch system) tubes. They would accommodate a future cruise missile (the Cheon Ryong with a range of 1,500 Km) in development by LIG Nex1 while the launchers would be provided by Doosan. It was announced earlier in the program that Spanish company INDRA was selected to provide its electronic defense system (ESM) PEGASO and Babcock of the UK would design and manufacture the Weapon Handling System for the Batch-I submarines. French company Safran is supplying the optronic masts for the class. Other South Korean content include the flank array sonars (provided by LIG Nex1) and the combat management system (provided by Hanwha).

Construction on first of class SS 083 ‘Dosan An Chang-Ho’ started with the first steel cutting ceremony held at the DSME shipyard in Okpo on November 27, 2014. The naming ceremony took place there on May 17, 2016. The boat was named in honor of one of the leaders of the Korean nationalist movement of the early twentieth century. The launch took place on September 14, 2018.

The keel laying of the second vessel SS 085 ‘Son Byong-hi’ took place at DSME shipyard on July 1, 2016. Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan started construction of the third boat and final vessel of the first batch, SS 086 ‘Yi Dongnyeong’, on June 30, 2017.

In March 2019, the construction of the KSS-III Batch II project for the RoK Navy was approved.

Compared to the first batch, KSS III Batch II submarine are expected to have a longer hull (bringing displacement approx. from 3000t to 4000t), 10x VLS tubes (up from 6x), a greater level of South Korea systems and Lithium Ion batteries and High-Temperature Superconductor (HTS) motor technology for integrated full electric propulsion system.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...marine-dosan-ahn-chang-ho-started-sea-trials/

 

[Khafee]

Moon: Discussions for another U.S.-North Korea summit are in the works
JUNE 26, 2019
By Thomas Maresca

View attachment 8575
South Korean President Moon Jae-in listens to U.S. President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House White House in Washington on April 11. Moon is expected to ask Trump to reduce sanctions on North Korea in an attempt to jump start nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States. File Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo


SEOUL, June 26 (UPI) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday the peace process with North Korea has never stopped moving and that negotiations are underway for a third summit between the United States and North Korea.

"There's no reason to regard the current situation as a stalemate in the peace process on the Peninsula just because the pace has remained slow," Moon said in a wide-ranging written interview with South Korean news agency Yonhap and a group of international news agencies released by the president's office on Wednesday.

The six international agencies cooperating on the interview were the AP, AFP, Reuters, Russia's TASS, Japan's Kyodo and China's Xinhua.
The South Korean president said there has been "considerable headway" in the peace process and that it is "still making steady progress."

He said that "behind-the-scenes talks" have been ongoing between the United States and North Korea and that dialogue between the South and North is underway through "diverse channels."

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Seoul on Saturday after attending the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, and will meet with Moon on Sunday.
Moon cited the recent letter sent by Kim Jong Un to Trump as well as a recent visit by Kim Yo Jong, sister of the North Korean leader, to express condolences on the passing of former South Korean first lady Lee Hee-ho, as evidence of the North's desire to keep dialogue moving.

Other South Korean officials have cited momentum in U.S.-North Korean nuclear negotiations in recent weeks, with Kim Jong Un's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang last week added to the speculation that another summit could be in the works. Xi and Kim had met ahead of the previous two U.S.-North Korea summits.

Moon also expressed his own willingness to meet with Kim Jong Un "at any given moment without being restrained by time, place or formalities," and said that he believed in Kim's "unequivocal resolve" to denuclearize.

"During the three inter-Korean summits with me, Chairman Kim expressed his intent to finalize a denuclearization process as soon as possible and to concentrate on economic development," Moon said.

"I believe in Chairman Kim's determination for denuclearization," he added.
Moon described Kim as "quite a flexible yet resolute person," citing the example of Kim's willingness to hold an unplanned press conference at the first inter-Korean summit, held in the Panmunjom peace village in the DMZ in April of last year, to announce the summit's agreements.

"The original plan was to announce them through a written document such as a joint statement, but I suggested a press conference, considering the historic significance of the summit and its agreements, and Chairman Kim instantly accepted the proposal," Moon said.

Negotiations between North Korea and the United States broke down at the Trump-Kim Hanoi summit in February over the steps and timing of the denuclearization process.

Pyongyang has been looking for the lifting of some international sanctions in exchange for progress toward dismantling its nuclear program, while Washington has held out for complete denuclearization first.

Moon said that he didn't see the summit as a "failure," even though an agreement wasn't reached.
"The Hanoi summit served as a chance for both North Korea and the United States to put everything they want on the negotiating table for candid discussions and come to better understand one another," he said. "What was discussed at the Hanoi summit will become the basis for the next phase of negotiations."

Moon suggested that a phased approach that would allow for concessions from both sides in a step-by-step process can get the peace process moving, with inter-Korean economic projects such as reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex adding momentum.
"As these steps should be taken reciprocally between them, I proposed to President Trump that [South Korea's] role, including inter-Korean economic cooperation, could be fully utilized as corresponding measures to induce the North to take denuclearization steps," he said.

Moon also said he believed that Kim Jong Un's offer to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear complex, raised at the Hanoi summit, would place North Korea on an "irreversible" course toward denuclearization.

"If all of the nuclear facilities in the complex, including the plutonium reprocessing facilities and the uranium enrichment facilities, are completely demolished and verified, it would be possible to say that the denuclearization of North Korea has entered an irreversible stage," he said.

The South Korean president has made turning the Korean Peninsula into a single economic bloc a central part of his administration's vision, a point he emphasized again on Wednesday.

"[T]he concept of peace has to be further broadened," he said. "The Korean Peninsula needs to take the path toward common prosperity as one unified community."
In addition to reopening projects such as the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which employed 55,000 North Koreans until it was closed in 2016, Moon has outlined plans to connect roads and railways across the peninsula and restart tourism projects in the North.

"I am convinced that peace drives the economy," he said "The Korean Peninsula peace process will greatly expand Korea's economic territory by connecting the continent and ocean."

Moon will be attending the G20 Summit in Osaka on Thursday and Friday alongside leaders such as Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Trump will then fly to Seoul on Saturday, where he has a summit scheduled with Moon on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be joining Trump in Seoul, while the lead envoy for nuclear negotiations, special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Thursday and stay through the weekend.

Moon: Discussions for another U.S.-North Korea summit are in the works - UPI.com

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday negotiations between the United States and North Korea for a third summit have been ongoing behind the scenes.

www.upi.com

 

[Khafee]

Unidentified Flying Object is Wild Geese, S Korean Fighter Jets Find Out
02 July 2019
View attachment 8947
South Korean Jets 'Intercept' wild geese: simulated image

The South Korean air force scrambled fighter jets to intercept an unidentified object, flying near the demilitarized zone between its border with North Korea which was later confirmed to be a flock of wild geese.

The incident comes after a recent incident where a North Korean boat with four persons on board entered South Korean waters undetected. The South’s military has been on heightened alert since then.

An unidentified object was detected on military radars flying near the border with North Korea on Monday turned out to be a flock of birds, later confirmed to be wild geese, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The detection prompted the air force to scramble fighter jets to intercept the object.

South Korean military radar had detected an unidentified object in the sky above the Demilitarized Zone in the central portion of the inter-Korean border in Gangwon Province at around 1 p.m. Monday. The object was found some 4.5 kilometers above the ground, inside the no-fly zone that the two Koreas set up along the border under the inter-Korean military agreement signed in September last year, Yonhap news agency reported.

"Upon spotting that, the military deployed several jets in response, which later confirmed that the trace was made by around 20 birds, which were presumed to be wild geese," Yonhap quoted an unidentified officer as saying.

While scrambling the jets, the South Korean military sent a notification to North Korea via the inter-Korean military communication channel in accordance with the military pact in order to prevent any accidental clashes, he added.

Defense World

View News at Defense World

www.defenseworld.net

 

[Khafee]

South Korean man arrested over alleged Daesh terror plot
Jeff Sung
July 04, 2019

View attachment 9065
Screen grab from South Korea’s national television, KBS. The TV has reported on Thursday that Seoul has arrested a serving soldier for his alleged links to Deash. ( Source KBS TV screen )

• Soldier, 23, discharged from army this month held after stealing explosives equipment

SEOUL: A South Korean man with alleged links to Daesh militants was on Thursday arrested on suspicion of plotting acts of terrorism.
The 23-year-old soldier, identified only by his surname Park, had been discharged from the East Asian country’s army on July 2 this year, according to South Korean national television channel, KBS.

He was arrested by a police and military task force for having stolen a sparking-plug for explosives in October 2017 while participating in special training on demolition techniques.

The man is accused of having collected video clips of Daesh operations and other related materials to post online. The TV report said investigation authorities had seized emails Park had received from Daesh on how to join the terror group.

South Korean police and military started their probe after obtaining intelligence on Park provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

If the allegations are found to be true, it would be the second reported Daesh-linked case involving a South Korean national.

In 2015, a 17-year-old South Korean, identified only as Kim, disappeared after telling family he was going to study in Turkey. Authorities suspect he made his way into Syria to try and join Daesh.

Although police could not confirm he linked up with the terror group, they found evidence of his interest in the Islamic militants on his Twitter account. The teenager had posted a picture of a Daesh flag and frequently tweeted, “I want join” while asking to meet “brothers.” He had followed pro-Daesh accounts and often retweeted the group’s propaganda.

South Korean man arrested over alleged Daesh terror plot

SEOUL: A South Korean man with alleged links to Daesh militants was on Thursday arrested on suspicion of plotting acts of terrorism. The 23-year-old soldier, identified only by his surname Park, had been discharged from the East Asian country’s army on July 2 this year, according to South Korean...

www.arabnews.com

 

[Khafee]

South Korea displays F-35 stealth jets seen by the North as a threat
01 Oct 2019

A South Korean fighter pilot (L) stands next to a F-35 A Stealth during the 71th anniversary of Armed Forces Day at the Military Air Base in Daegu on Oct 1, 2019.
(Photo: JEON HEON-KYUN/POOL/AFP)


SEOUL: South Korea showcased newly acquired F-35 stealth fighter jets to mark Armed Forces Day on Tuesday (Oct 1) as President Moon Jae-in tries to allay concerns that his policy of engagement with North Korea may be weakening the South's commitment to defence.

North Korea has criticised the South's weapons procurements and its joint military drills with the US military as undisguised preparations for war that were forcing it to develop new short-range missiles.

Moon has thrown his support behind dialogue to end the North's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, urging that working-level negotiations between the North and the United States be held soon. No new dates or locations have been set.

Moon marked the founding of the South Korean military at a ceremony at an airbase in the city of Taegu that highlighted four of the eight Lockheed Martin F-35A jets delivered this year. Forty of the aircraft are to be delivered by 2021.

Analysts have said the F-35 stealth jets put North Korea’s anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems in a vulnerable position, with Pyongyang claiming that use of the jets forced it to develop new missiles to "completely destroy" the threat.

Negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes have stalled since a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke down in February over disagreements on denuclearisation.

North Korea blamed the United States on Monday for a failure to restart talks, with Pyongyang's UN ambassador Kim Song saying it was time for Washington to share proposals for talks that showed Washington had adopted a new "calculation method".

South Korea and the United States have separately begun talks for a new military burden-sharing agreement to decide the portion South Korea will shoulder for the cost of stationing what is now about 28,500 US troops in the country.

Moon told Trump during a summit in New York last week what South Korea would contribute, including an increase in purchases of US weapons and future purchase plans, a senior official at South Korea's presidential office said.

Source: Reuters/aa

 

[Khafee]

KAI Night Intruder 600 VT takes off
Dae Young Kim, Seoul and Kelvin Wong, Singapore

04 October 2019

KAI’s Night Intruder 600 VT VTOL UAV performed its first flight at the Goheung Aerospace Center in South Jeolla province. Source: KAI

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced that the Night Intruder 600 VT vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (VTOL UAV) had successfully performed its maiden flight in South Jeolla province on 24 September.

The air vehicle is an internally funded development derived from a 600 kg-class two-seat light helicopter and is the company's first attempt at developing a VTOL UAV.

KAI officials earlier told Jane's that the Night Intruder 600 VT has an overall length of 9 m, width of 2 m, and height of 2.5 m. Although configured with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 600 kg, future development could see the air vehicle grow to over 750 kg as the programme matures.
Development of the Night Intruder 600 VT began in 2017 and it was exhibited for the first time in public at the DX Korea exhibition in November 2018. KAI then acquired a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in July and a flight permit from Busan Regional Aviation Administration in August in accordance with Aviation Safety Act to pave the way for its maiden flight.

KAI is aiming to complete the first-phase development of the air vehicle by the end of the year. Further work to advance its automatic take-off and landing system is expected to begin imminently in the second developmental phase.

Jane's earlier reported that the air vehicle is typically equipped with a chin-mounted stabilised electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) turret with high-definition daylight and thermal cameras. Other mission payloads being planned include a laser rangefinder or designator, as well as a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system.

The company is intending to pitch the Night Intruder 600 VT to meet a forthcoming Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) VTOL UAV requirement.