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Sejong the Great-class destroyer

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KDX-III class destroyer
King Sejong the Great (KDX-III)
Class Overview
Class Type Guided missile destroyer
Class Name In honor of Sejong the Great
(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/62) 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") torpedos
Aircraft: • Two Westland Lynx Mk.99 ASW helicopters with full accomandations including hangars

The Sejong the Great class destroyers (Hangul: 세종대왕급 구축함), also known as KDX-III, are guided missile destroyers for the Republic of Korea Navy by Hyundai Heavy Industries. On May 25th, 2007, the ROK Navy has commissioned the ship for test run. It will be deployed for naval operations in 2009 after one-and-a-half years of test operations. ROK Navy plans to build up to 6 more of the same type, 2 ships in each side of the ocean.

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 Sejong the Great 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 the design is derived from the Arleigh Burke class, and sometimes called "Super Burke", due to larger fire unit and enhanced sea-to-land attack capabilities the KDX-III should not be considered as a variant of Arleigh Burke class destroyer, but as an entirely separate "KDX-III class" or "Sejong the Great class" destroyer. Capability comparison to Ticonderoga class cruisers could even raise questions whether classification of these ships as destroyers is adequate.

The standard displacement of the Sejong the Great class is 7,650 tonnes, while its full load displacement is above 10,000 tonnes.

Armaments

Sejong the Great 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/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.

Anti-aircraft armament is consisted of SM-2 Block IIIB 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 Hyunmoo IIIC (Guardian of the Northern Sky) cruise missile with performance similar to the American Tomahawk. The ship will carry 32 of these missiles.

Missile

Capabilities

Sejong the Great class 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, have similiar-sized fire unit and have strong sea-to-air and sea-to-land capability. One notable difference between the Sejong the Greats and Burkes is that the VLS cells on 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 similiarity to Ticonderoga class cruisers is the presence of full facilities (including Hangar) for two ASW helicopters. This feature is also present in Arleigh Burke class Flight IIA and Atago class destroyers, but notably missing in pre-Flight IIA ships and their peers, such as the Japanese Kongo-class destroyers, which only had LAMPS III electronics and a landing deck.

Sejong the Great class destroyers, despite neglegibly smaller displacement, surpass the Atago class destroyers of Japan's Navy not only in the fire unit size, but also in the sea-to-land attack capability, which the Japanese ships currently lack altogether.

A special feature of Sejong the Great class destroyers is that they are able to track and target up to 900 different ships and missiles simulataneously thousands of miles away.

The vessel is also equipped with AN/SPG-62 Fire Control Radar.

Hull names

Originally KDX-III class destroyers planned to be named after Korean patriots.

The first vessel destroyer was originally planned to be 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 was originally planned 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 was originally planned 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.

But, in April 20th, 2007, Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy announced that the KDX-III class destroyers will be referred as Sejong the Great (Hangul:세종대왕) class destroyers; after the fourth king of the Choson Dynasty of Korea who one of only two Korean rulers posthumously honored with the appellation "the Great". Therefore, the first vessel destroyer will be named as ROKS Sejong the Great.

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.

Ships in the class

Hull no. Name Launched Commissioned
DDG 991 Sejong the Great (Hangul:세종대왕) 25 May 2007 2008
DDG 992 2010
DDG 993 2012

See also

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