Ahn Yong-Bok class destroyer
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| KDX-III class destroyer | |
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| Class Overview | |
| Class Type | Guided missile destroyer |
| Class Name | In honor of Ahn Yong-Bok (안용복) |
| Preceded By | KDX-II-class destroyer |
| Succeeded By | N/A |
| General Characteristics | |
| Cost: | ~US$923 million |
| Displacement: | ~7,650 tons hull displacement ~10,000 ± 290 tons 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/54) Mk-45 (lightweight gun) • One 30 mm Goalkeeper CIWS • One RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launcher • SM-2 Block ⅣA/B 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 Cheon Ryeong (천룡--"Sky Dragon") 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") torpedos |
| Aircraft: | • Two Westland Lynx Mk.99 ASW helicopters with full accomandations including hangars |
The Ahn Yong-Bok class destroyers (Hangul: 안용복급 구축함), also known as KDX-III, are guided missile destroyers under construction for the Republic of Korea Navy by Hyundai Heavy Industries.
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[edit] Background
The ship features the advanced Aegis combat system (Baseline 7 Phase 1 - Advanced Processor (4800 MIPS) and Distributed Processor (1600 MIPS)) combined with AN/SPY-1D multi-function radar antennas.
The Ahn Yong-Bok-class is the third phase of the Republic of Korea Navy's KDX (Korean Destroyer eXperimental) 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 as well as becoming a blue-water navy.
Although it is an improvement upon the Arleigh Burke class, and sometimes called as "Super Burke", the KDX-III will not be considered as a variant of Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and will be considered as an entirely separate "KDX-III-class" or "Ahn Yong-Bok-class" destroyer.
The first KDX-III-class destroyer is currently under construction by Hyundai Heavy Industries. Originally, Republic of Korea Navy planned to commission 3 KDX-III-class destroyers. However, according to a Dong-a Ilbo article on January 10, 2006, ROKN wants to commission 3 more KDX-III-class destroyers by 2018.
The standard displacement of the Ahn Yong-Bok-class is 7,650 tons, while its full load displacement is above 10,000 tons.
[edit] Armaments
Ahn Yong-Bok class destroyers are the world's first destroyers to implement highly advanced AEGIS combat systems with RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile weapons systems [1].
Its main gun is the 127mm/L54 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 a 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.
Anti-aircraft aramament is consisted of SM-2 Block ⅣA and ⅣB in 80-cell VLS.
Anti-Submarine Warfare armaments are consisted of both 16 K-ASROC Hong Sahng-uh (Red Shark) anti-submarine rockets and 32 K745 LW Cheong Sahng-uh (Blue Shark) torpedos.
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 Cheon Ryeong (Sky Dragon) cruise missile with performance similar to the American Tomahawk. The ship will carry 32 of these missiles.
[edit] Capabilities
Ahn Yong-Bok destroyers' highly advanced capabilities (notably AN/SPY-1D radars) makes them closer to cruisers in terms of classification than destroyers. The destroyers are often compared to Ticonderoga-class cruisers because they both harbor AN/SPY-1 multi-function radar antennas and as well as have roughly the same weight. One notable difference between the Ahn Yong-Boks and Burkes is that the VLS cells on Ahn Yong-Boks will have a capacity of 128 missiles, as opposed to 96 on the Arleigh Burke-class (Flight IIA).
The vessel is also equipped with AN/SPG-62 Fire Control Radar.
[edit] Hull names
All Ahn Yong-Bok class destroyers are named after Korean patriots.
The first vessel destroyer was recently named Ahn Yong-Bok (Hangul:안용복) after a Korean patriot who protested over Tokugawa Shogunate's repeated claim over Dokdo and made Tokugawa Shogunate confirm in writing that the islets were Korean possessions.
The second destroyer is to be named Ji Deok-Chil (Hangul:지덕칠), after Staff Sergeant Ji Deok-Chil, who sacrificed his life to save his comrades during the Vietnam War.
The third unit is to be named Yun Yeong-Ha (Hangul:윤영하), after Lt. Commander Yun Yeong-Ha who fell in line of duty during a skirmish between the Republic of Korea Navy force and North Korean Navy.
The fourth destroyer is to be named for General Yi Sabu of Silla dynasty of Korea, who subjugated Usan-Guk (present-day Ulleung-do) by employing brilliant naval tactics. The fifth and sixth destroyers are yet to be named.
[edit] Ships in the class
- DDG-991 ROKS Ahn Yong-Bok (Hangul:안용복) (2008)
- DDG-992 ROKS Ji Deok-Chil (Hangul:지덕칠) (2010)
- DDG-993 ROKS Yun Yeong-Ha (Hangul:윤영하) (2012)
Despite the fact there are currently no plans for a 4th KDX-III destroyer, the South Korean Grand National Party pledged in 2005 that it would build a 4th ship. This promise remains unfulfilled, mainly due to budgetary and political problems.
[edit] See also
- Korean Destroyer eXperimental
- KDX-I Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyer
- KDX-II Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer
