South Korea commissions its second Daegu-class guided missile frigate

 

The ROKS Gyeongnam (FFG-819). Photo c/o Naval News.



The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) has commissioned its second Daegu-class guided missile frigate into service on 04 January 2020.

The new frigate, commissioned as the ROKS Gyeongnam (FFG-819), follows the lead ship ROKS Daegu which was commissioned to the ROKN on March 2018.

The ROKS Gyeongnam was built by built by South Korean naval shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and was launched on 21 June 2019.

The ROKN has ordered a total of eight (8) ships, with the third and forth ships, named Seoul and Donghae, respectively, being built by another shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). The ships were also launched on November 2019 and April 2020, respectively.

The Daegu-class were built under the ROKN's FFX Batch II Program, are are improved versions of the Incheon-class frigates built under the FFX Batch I Program.

The frigates displaces at 3,600 tons full load, are 122 meters long and 14 meters wide, and are powered by four MTU 12V 4000 M53B diesel engines and a Rolls Royce MT30 gas turbine in Combined Diesel-Electric and Gas (CODLAG) configuration.

This hybrid propulsion system allows a maximum speed of 30 knots, and reduces underwater radiated noise which helps in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations.

The frigates are also armed with a 127mm Mk. 45 Mod 4 naval gun, a 20mm Phalanx Block 1B close in weapon system, eight SSM-700K Haeseong anti-ship missiles and two triple torpedo tubes, and a 16-cell Korean Vertical Launching System (K-VLS) capable of firing the Korean Surface to Air Anti-Missile (K-SAAM) air defense missile, the Hong Sang Eo anti-submarine rocket, and the SSM-701K Haeryong land attack cruise missiles.



[1] Naval News
[2] Jane's

South Korea commissions its second Daegu-class guided missile frigate South Korea commissions its second Daegu-class guided missile frigate Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal on January 10, 2021 Rating: 5

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