The other naval build up in asia
- Thread starter IDonT
- Start date
This new FAC is a design of a ship where the designer should have been taken out and shot. I bring it as a text book example of how not to design a stealthy ship. Here, in this ship, the low RCS measures seems to be running okay, until you reach the turret. A rounded turret like that screams with radar reflection all over.
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fac_korea.jpg
I think that's the same OTO Mellara 76mm compact gun found on many other ships? Not the most stealthy turret but they probably went cheap on the FAC weapon systems.
If it was up to me, I'd replace the 40mm gun with a RAM launcher. But that probably doesn't fit s. Korea's requirements, as these ships are intended to be gunboats to go butt heads against N. Korean gunboats.
If it was up to me, I'd replace the 40mm gun with a RAM launcher. But that probably doesn't fit s. Korea's requirements, as these ships are intended to be gunboats to go butt heads against N. Korean gunboats.
The easiest thing would probably to go with a similar turret to the one fitted on KNM Skjold. Thats also an OTO Mellara 76mm
I can see now how that gun is screwing up the low RCS profiles of a variety of stealthy ships. This is the equivalent of pain stakingly paint camouflaging a tank, then put a red bullseye on the turret.
Considering that that gun can be found on plenty of ROK ships that are scheduled for replacement I wouldn't be to surprised if they simple decided to use guns taken from those ships instead of buying new ones (cost reductions?)...
Also since those ships are build to counter North Korean navy RCS shouldn't be main concern since this new ROK FACs are generations ahead of ships North Koreans have and with proper ECM measures they will sink any NK ship before North Koreans even manage to detect them(Israeli operations during `73 war for example)... If NK manages to acquire more modern systems(hardly imaginable) ROK can easily replace turrets during MLU...