South Korean Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Looks like an S Duct. The reason that T50 is suspect on this is you can see the engines from the intakes straight on. Here we don’t see any sign of that. It’s not that on other stealth models you can’t see the engines looking down the shafts it’s just that to do so requires contortion. The goal is that radar waves going down the intakes will reflect off the engines but being angled inside the fuselage the waves will reflect off the ducts at angles.

ROK Navy KSS III Submarine Program Reaches Another Milestone​

ROK Navy KSS III Batch I Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine (Picture by DSME)

The South-Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine (DSME) on December 10 announced it reached another milestone in the operational evaluation of the ROK Navy 1st KSS III submarine: ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho (SS-083) broke the world record for the longest continuous operation among diesel submarines.

10 Dec 2020

According to the official claim made by DSME, the indigenous high-performance fuel cells were critical in achieving this record. This AIP operational test “is directly related to the submarine’s stealth and survivability, which confirms whether the submarine can operate underwater continuously for a long period of time,” the company said in a statement.

Dosan Ahn Changho is equipped with a dedicated fuel cell, which was domestically produced by DSME. The company began research on domestic production of fuel cells with the country’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in 2008, and completed fuel cell development in 2014.

The fuel cell system developed by DSME is the second most successful fuel cell system in the world after the one developed in Germany, and was installed in a 3,000-ton class submarine for the first time in the world. As a result of analysis based on the amount of fuel remaining after the completion of the test, DSME revealed that “it showed performance far exceeding the operational performance required by the military“.

“It’s a great achievement that the Dosan Ahn Changho has proven its ability to dive underwater for the longest time thanks to the AIP. We hope that the remaining trial runs will be completed successfully, and we will be able to deliver a medium-sized submarine of the world’s highest quality, originally designed by Korea, to contribute to national security.


Yoo Su-joon, senior managing director of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering’s special ship division

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ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho should be nearing the end of its sea trial phase and handed over to the ROKN in the near future.

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.

South Korean Navy took delivery of ROKS Gyeongnam FFG-819 Daegu-class guided missile frigate​

According to information published by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces Facebook account on January 1, 2021, the South Korean Navy took delivery of ROKS Gyeongnam (FFG-819) Daegu-class guided missile frigate just before the end of the year.

New ROKS Gyeongnam (FFG-819) Daegu-class guided missile frigate of South Korean Navy. (Picture source Facebook Republic of Korea Armed Forces)


The ROKS Gyeongnam is a Daegu-class guided missile frigate built from the South Korean Navy by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Hyundai Heavy Industries. The ship was launched in June 2019 and must be commissioned in early 2021.

South Korea has ordered a total of 8 Daegu-class frigates that are built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The Daegu-class is an improved variant of the Incheon-class frigate. Modifications to the Incheon-class include a TB-250K towed array sonar system and a 16-cell Korean Vertical Launching System (K-VLS) that is able to deploy the K-SAAM, Hong Sang Eo anti-submarine missile, and Haeryong tactical land attack cruise missiles.

The hull design is generally based on the Incheon-class, also known as the Future Frigate eXperimental or FFX during development. The superstructure has been significantly changed. The hangar and a helicopter deck on stern has been enlarged to support the operation of a 10-ton helicopter.

The Daegu-class frigate is powered by a combined diesel-electric or gas (CODLOG) propulsion system including one Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine, four MTU 12V 4000 M53B diesel engine, and two Leonardo DRS electric motors. She can reach a top speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) with a maximum cruising range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,000 km). The ship has a crew of 140 sailors.

The Daegu-class frigate is armed with one 5 inch (127 mm)/L62 caliber Mk 45 Mod 4 naval gun, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System), two triple torpedo tubes for K745 Blue Shark torpedo, eight SSM-700K Haeseong Anti-ship Missile and 16-cell K-VLS (Vertical Launching System) able to launch Haegung K-SAAM surface-to-air missile, Haeryong VL-Tactical anti-ship cruise Missiles and K-ASROC Red Shark anti-submarine missile.

A new image of the South Korean KF-X prototype under construction. (Image via )

South Korean Light Armed Helicopter cleared for active combat​

Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has reported that the new Light Armed Helicopter, commonly known as LAH, has been initially declared fit for combat.

DAPA’s evaluation has concluded that the LAH program can transition from the development to the pre-production phase, according to multiple reports.

The new helicopter, developed by the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), designed for replacing the Republic of Korea Army’s aged attack helicopters (MD-500, AH-1S). The LAH project is the one that aims to develop a cutting-edge armed helicopter suitable for the modern battlefield.


The LAH has been developed around the LCH (Light Civil Helicopter), a local version of the Airbus Helicopters H155 twin-engined platform. Through the synergy of maximizing commonality in subsystems and parts with LCH, KAI will reduce the development, production, and sustainment cost.

The new combat aerial platform features stub wings provisioned to carry 70mm rocket pods, as well as a nose-mounted electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and a 20mm three-barreled turret gun, fuselage- and tail-mounted missile warning receivers, and upwards-directed exhausts for a reduced IR signature.

LAH conducted its first flight successfully in 2019. KAI aims to complete the development of LAH in 2022.

As of today, 3 prototype helicopters have conducted over 850 hours of test flights in the past year.


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Executive Editor

ROK Navy is ahead of making a very large project with assumption that they don't know how to use it. The only sure thing is that it will burn billions of $. Yes, they're planning to construct a light aircraft carrier! Of course they won't be able to use it in case of war against any neighbouring countries like PRC or Japan so there are some foggy statements like 'projection of power', 'protection of sea lanes' etc. It might work if the carrier would be permanently stationed in Sri Lanka for Indian Ocean or San Diego. Koreans are known for their megalomania but they will be spending their own money so that's none of my business. Maybe someone can come up wuth some reasoning here because that's a bold move without any substantial benfits for ROK and help me understand this whole thing? Because for now it looks like they want toys that they won't be able to use to make themselves feel happy about it.

For more go here (as always great write up):

Janiz said:

ROK Navy is ahead of making a very large project with assumption that they don't know how to use it. The only sure thing is that it will burn billions of $. Yes, they're planning to construct a light aircraft carrier! Of course they won't be able to use it in case of war against any neighbouring countries like PRC or Japan so there are some foggy statements like 'projection of power', 'protection of sea lanes' etc. It might work if the carrier would be permanently stationed in Sri Lanka for Indian Ocean or San Diego. Koreans are known for their megalomania but they will be spending their own money so that's none of my business. Maybe someone can come up wuth some reasoning here because that's a bold move without any substantial benfits for ROK and help me understand this whole thing? Because for now it looks like they want toys that they won't be able to use to make themselves feel happy about it.

For more go here (as always great write up):

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I'm sure Korean naval planners have a better idea than you seem to have on how to spend their budget. A war with Japan is unlikely - and China even less so. I don't see why they would have any interest in basing in San Diego or Sri Lanka either. They have a fair few island related territorial disputes, which these would be useful for, especially as countries in the neighbourhood like Japan and China are getting their own.

I think the primary reason for it however is likely a NK contingency, where an inevitable missile barrage might put some of their airbases (amongst other things) out of action during the initial salvo. Having a carrier would add flexibility to their strategic calculus and allow them to launch strikes against NK from its less defended flanks.

externallisting said:

I'm sure Korean naval planners have a better idea than you seem to have on how to spend their budget. A war with Japan is unlikely - and China even less so. I don't see why they would have any interest in basing in San Diego or Sri Lanka either. They have a fair few island related territorial disputes, which these would be useful for, especially as countries in the neighbourhood like Japan and China are getting their own.

I think the primary reason for it however is likely a NK contingency, where an inevitable missile barrage might put some of their airbases (amongst other things) out of action during the initial salvo. Having a carrier would add flexibility to their strategic calculus and allow them to launch strikes against NK from its less defended flanks.

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Yeah I think that is the most likely scenario for them. Sea based attacks on North Korea's shores.

externallisting said:

I'm sure Korean naval planners have a better idea than you seem to have on how to spend their budget. A war with Japan is unlikely - and China even less so. I don't see why they would have any interest in basing in San Diego or Sri Lanka either. They have a fair few island related territorial disputes, which these would be useful for, especially as countries in the neighbourhood like Japan and China are getting their own.

I think the primary reason for it however is likely a NK contingency, where an inevitable missile barrage might put some of their airbases (amongst other things) out of action during the initial salvo. Having a carrier would add flexibility to their strategic calculus and allow them to launch strikes against NK from its less defended flanks.

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I agree, but you have to admit having only 1 carrier is sort of a status symbol thing. It will eventually need to go for servicing or resupply and then you have no carrier.

Not a big deal if you're planning to strike first, but in a defensive scenario you can bet on an attack while the carrier is at port.

silentlurker said:

I agree, but you have to admit having only 1 carrier is sort of a status symbol thing. It will eventually need to go for servicing or resupply and then you have no carrier.

Not a big deal if you're planning to strike first, but in a defensive scenario you can bet on an attack while the carrier is at port.

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Crang said:

South Korea was exploring two carrier options - one for 40,000 ton and the other for 80,000 ton. The 80,000 ton option obviously isn't going to be realized and just for national pomposity. However the 40,000 ton is slightly more feasible, and to a certain extent the Koreans want to one-up the Japanese by having something bigger than anything the Japanese currently have.

Indonesia could do well with LPDs. China should explore selling LPDs to Indonesia like it did with Thailand and Malaysia. Indonesia's shipbuilding industry is far too weak to make its own LPD. There's cost-effectiveness in procuring a Chinese LPD. However the Indonesian economy is too weak even now to deal with an LPD, and would have to wait at least 10 years.

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It appears before I wrote this, the South Korean military had already approved a 40,000 ton carrier for 2030. I guess I was right in that there was no way they would go for the 80,000 ton option, and the 40,000 ton was more feasible. The carrier will have two islands and be similarly sized to the Queen Elizabeth class, but unlike the Queen Elizabeth class, it will not have a ski ramp. However it will similarly use F35-Bs which will run off the flat carrier deck.

Unlike South Korea's current largest warship, the Dokdo class, it will not have a well-deck. In this sense the carrier will be cousins of the similarly sized Queen Elizabeth class (two islands) and America class (no ski ramp).





They are trying to indigenize as much as possible. South Korean shipbuilders will be more than able to build the hull. However they would have to rely on technology transfer for a lot of other items. I was wondering if they would take a leaf out of China's playbook and try to incorporate a catapult like with the Type 076. However that would probably be too much to handle right now for South Korean shipbuilders and Hyundai and they would have to leave it for the next generation, decades from now.