South Korean Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

sequ

sequ

Major
Registered Member
ougoah said:
Well J-10's first flight was sort of covered in similar detail... but footage released long after of course.

Korea and China just have very different security and OSINT concerns. Frankly it is simply how things are and so we are only left with the assurance that China's abilities are above what is being shown and what is allowed to be revealed. South Korea doesn't have to worry about any superpower attacking it or learning enough about things to build intel.

Grainy photos from a distance is the best we can get for a prototype flight. It's quite open of China to even reveal a prototype flight to be honest lol. As for anything strategic or worth keeping secret, forget about it... we're lucky to hear whispers and hints months/years after successful trials and flights. I mean it was only in recent years China released videos from the 1960s to 1980s of Chinese ballistic missile tests and even ballistic missile interceptors. Same with old aircraft factories, nuclear facilities and so on. If China could prevent details of space launch activities and warship constructions, it would even do that. Honestly even today, China embodies the hide your strength and bide your time philosophy to national progress. Let the enemy roll around in their own propaganda and their own self created misinformation. Reality is more important than feelings and egos.
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There is almost nothing that strategic about a tactical fighter. I can understand the secrecy of a new strategic bomber and you won't hear me complaining about the secrecy surrounding subs, (they're meant to be secret anyway) but the scrutiny surrounding the J-31/35 is unneeded. China has already flown a different 5th gen fighter and although they were quite hermetic about it in the beginning, we have now have pictures of that thing where we can count the individual rivets on it's retractable luneberg lens!

Give the aircraft some decent media coverage and you take away the need for ultra HD telelens pictures taken of the thing by amateurs, exposing whatever secrets they are trying to hide.
 
O

ougoah

Brigadier
Registered Member
sequ said:
There is almost nothing that strategic about a tactical fighter. I can understand the secrecy of a new strategic bomber and you won't hear me complaining about the secrecy surrounding subs, (they're meant to be secret anyway) but the scrutiny surrounding the J-31/35 is unneeded. China has already flown a different 5th gen fighter and although they were quite hermetic about it in the beginning, we have now have pictures of that thing where we can count the individual rivets on it's retractable luneberg lens!

Give the aircraft some decent media coverage and you take away the need for ultra HD telelens pictures taken of the thing by amateurs, exposing whatever secrets they are trying to hide.
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I'm with you but the decision makers feel differently.

The only reason we do see photos of them is because they are tactical fighters. We don't see photos of Chinese spaceplanes, hypersonic aircraft or any of those (except DF-17) because they are a different category. We won't see photos of H-20 test flights either because it's strategic. It's impossible to cover the construction of a carrier or even a large warship. The subs are in enclosed facilities though.

I guess if J-35 test flights are covered in the same way KF-21 is, they do risk revealing important details. There's a lot very experienced engineers can determine from geometry and size. Even the engines could probably be determined (whether WS-13, WS-19 - different and new). Payload, top speed, general RCS models, range etc can all be estimated fairly accurately by a focused intelligence effort.

What is risked is simply different to what Korean risks with revealing a fair bit about their 5th gen prototype. Which they will be offering for export so it is a factor here to remember.

FC-31 is available for export. It isn't used by PLAN or PLAAF. J-35 is to be used by PLAN. Therefore no details for J-35.

But notice that FC-31 prototype was totally revealed. It flew in an airshow in front of many airforce reps including the US.

Because FC-31 isn't used by China's military, they didn't care about revealing the details of an early prototype with non of the specifics and details completed.

Therefore all this is to do with opsec. FC-31 V1 was a very early prototype. KF-21 here is much nearer to IOC level prototype. J-35 is near IOC and no way such details are revealed like KF-21. The difference given the above means the choice is all to do with opsec.
 
aahyan

aahyan

Senior Member
Registered Member

HHI Launches South Korea’s First KDX III Batch II Destroyer​


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KDX-III Batch-II launching ceremony. HHI picture.


South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) today launched the lead ship of the KDX-III Batch-II AEGIS destroyer project for the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy: ROKS Jeongjo the Great.​

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28 Jul 2022

According to the ROK Navy and Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the launching ceremony of the first ship of the ‘KDX-Ⅲ Batch-II’ project, the ‘Jeongjo the Great’, was held at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan on the morning of the 28th.


Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) announced on October 10 2019 it has signed a US$565 million contract with the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) for the first of three Gwanggaeto-III Batch II (KDX-III Batch II) destroyers for the ROK Navy.

Under the deal, HHI will deliver the first of three Aegis destroyers by November 2024. In May 2019, South Korea approved plans to construct the second batch of three destroyers with a budget of around US$3.3 billion.

The KDX-III Batch II program calls for the construction of three Aegis destroyers, one to be delivered every two years. They will receive pennant numbers 995, 996 and 997. The three existing 7,600-ton KDX-III Batch I Aegis destroyers of the ROK Navy are based on the DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class of the US Navy. The keel of ROKS Jeongjo The Great, the first of the KDX-III Batch II boats, was laid by HHI on
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KDX III Batch II weapon systems​

South Korea's HHI New KDX III Batch II Destroyer for ROK Navy

Artist impression of the future KDX III Batch II destroyer. HHI image.

Based on the existing Sejong the Great-class the new AEGIS destroyers will feature several improvements including improved combat systems that can detect and track targets at greater distances and anti-ballistic missile capability with
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The KDX-III Batch II will be fitted with SM-2 Block IIIB as well and, possibly, the new SM-6 “multi-mission missile” capable of long-range Fleet Air Defense, Sea-Based Terminal defense, and Anti-Surface Warfare. The decision to procure SM-6 has not been made yet and will depend on budget.

According to our South Korean sources, the KDX III Batch II ships will feature a total of 88 vertical launch system (VLS) cells:
  • 48x Mk41 VLS for US-made missiles
  • 16x K-VLS
  • 24x K-VLS II
K-VLS will be used to deploy K-SAAM (Korean Surface to Air Anti Missile), replacing the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM). It features inertial mid-course guidance and a dual microwave and infrared homing seeker for terminal guidance. K-VLS will also deploy Hong Sang Eo (Red Shark) rocket-based torpedo (K-ASROC) and Haeryong Tactical Surface Launch Missile (TSLM) land attack cruise missile.

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currently being developed by Hanwha to launch the future long-range surface-to-air missile (150 Km range) Cheongung 3 (also known as L SAM). Naval News learned from a source at LIG Nex1, that the naval L SAM (which is still in conceptual phase) will only have minor modifications compared to the land-based variant. L SAM is intended to replace SM-2 in the ROK Navy. K-VLS II will also likely be used to launch the new
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Compared to the Batch I, which sports 16 SSM-700K Haeseong (C-Star) anti ship missiles, the Batch II ships will “only” have 8 of them.
While early renderings of KDX III Batch II ships showed them fitted with a RAM missile launcher, the destroyers will actually get the
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as their last line of defense, alongside soft kill decoys (Rheinmetall MASS decoy launchers).

KDX III Batch II sensors and CMS​

Lockheed Martin is in charge of delivering the AN/SPY-1D(V) multi-function radar as well as the AEGIS combat system for the KDX III Batch II ship. Talking to Naval News during MADEX 2019, Lockheed Martin representatives explained that the destroyers would get the Aegis Baseline 9.C2 derivative with software variant “KII” and BMD baseline 5, which allows the use of SM-3 Block IB. As of October 2019, the radar arrays for the first KDX III Batch II were already in production. The radar arrays and combat system will be tested in New Jersey in 2021 before delivery to South Korea.

Talking to Naval News at MADEX 2019, the KDX III program manager at HHI said the 1st steel cutting is set to take place in 2021 and delivery of the first in class ship is expected for 2024. HHI also provided us with the following details:

KDX III Batch II Characteristics:​

  • Light displacement: 8,300 tons
  • Full load displacement: > 10,000 tons
  • Length: 170 meters
  • Breadth: 21 meters
  • Speed: 30 knots
  • Crew: 300 sailors

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