Sejong the Great-class destroyer
| KDX-III class destroyer | |
|---|---|
| Class Overview | |
| Class Type | Guided missile destroyer |
| Namesake | Sejong the Great of Joseon (세종대왕) |
| Preceded By | KDX-II-class destroyer |
| Succeeded By | N/A |
| General characteristics | |
| Cost: | ~US$923 million |
| Displacement: | ~7,700 tonnes hull displacement ~10,000 ± 290 tonnes full load |
| Length: | 544 ft (165.9 m) |
| Beam: | 69 ft (21 m) |
| Draft: | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 General Electric LM2500 COGAG; two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower (75 MW) |
| Speed: | 30+ knots (56+ km/h) |
| Range: | 5,500 nautical miles |
| Complement: | 300-400 crew members |
| Armament: | • One 5 inch (127mm/L62) Mk-45 Mod 4 (lightweight gun) • One 30 mm Goalkeeper CIWS • One RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launcher • SM-2 Block IIIB in Mk. 41 80-cell Vertical Launching System • Four SSM-700K Hae Sung (해성--"Sea Star") long-range anti-ship missile launchers with four missiles in each launcher • 32 Hyunmoo IIIC (현무-3--"Guardian of the Northern Sky") land-attack cruise missiles + 16 K-ASROC, known as Hong Sahng-uh (홍상어--"Red Shark") in domestic 48-cell Vertical Launching System • 32 K745 LW Cheong Sahng-uh (청상어--"Blue Shark") torpedoes |
| Aircraft: | • Two Westland Lynx Mk.99 ASW helicopters with full accommodations |
The King Sejong the Great class destroyers (Sejongdaewang-Ham or Hangul: 세종대왕급 구축함), also known as KDX-III, are guided missile destroyers for the Republic of Korea Navy by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The lead ship was launched May 25, 2007, sponsored by Kwon Yang-sook, the First Lady of the Republic of Korea 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, 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 antennas.
The King 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 at enhancing ROKN's ability to successfully defend the maritime areas around Korea from various modes of threats.
Armaments
King 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. Aside from firing the standard munition like its previous versions, the new gun can also fire EX-171 Extended-Range Guided Munitions, which has an extended range of 117 km.
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.[1]
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 16 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)
- K-VLS 48 cell (Aft)
- K-ASROC (Korean ASROC)
- Hyunmoo IIIC (similar to Tomahawk)
- 4x4 (16) Hae Sung (similar to Harpoon)
- 1x21 RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile(RAM)
Capabilities
King 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 King Sejong the Greats and Arleigh Burkes is the number of VLS cells. King Sejong the Greats 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.
- Victek SLQ-200(V) Sonata electronic warfare suite.[2]
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 King 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 had been considered for the ship's name as early as 2005.[1]
Ships in the class
| Hull no. | Name | Launched | Commissioned | Builder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DDG 991 | King Sejong the Great | 25 May 2007 | 2008 | Hyundai Heavy Industries |
| DDG 992 | 2010 | Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering | ||
| DDG 993 | 2012 |
References
See also
- Korean Destroyer eXperimental
- Gwanggaeto the Great class destroyer (KDX-I)
- Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyer (KDX-II)