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Herman Hum
02 May 05, 13:11
Fourth Stealth Destroyer for Korean Navy
English.Chosun.com (http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505020015.html)

The Navy will launch another Korean Destroyer Experimental (KDX) II class destroyer armed with the latest anti-ship and anti-air missiles on Wednesday, when the "Wang-geon" steams out of the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan. The 4,200 ton stealth destroyer, the fourth KDX-II class destroyer after the Chungmugong Yi Soon-shin, Munmudaewang and Daejoyeong, takes its name from the founder of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goryeo. It's 150 meters long with a beam of 17 meters and height of 9.5 meters and has a top speed of 30 knots.
The Wang-geon packs a powerful punch with its Harpoon anti-ship missiles with a range of 130 km and Standard SM-II anti-air missiles capable of accurately intercepting aircraft and cruise missiles 100 km away. It also features the 30mm Thales Nederland Goalkeeper close-in weapon system (CIWS) for downing incoming missiles and can carry two Super Lynx anti-submarine helicopters. The ship's hull incorporates stealth technology to frustrate attempts by enemy radar to detect it.

The Wang-geon is the biggest warship in the Korean Navy, but not nearly as big as Japan's or China's latest. The Japanese have four 7,250 ton Aegis destroyers, sometimes called the "dream warship". China has bought two 7,000 ton Sovremenny-class destroyers from Russia, and has built or is building several other warships between 4,000 and 7,000 tons. Korea will have to wait until 2008 for the KDX-III, which at 7,000 tons has roughly the same displacement as Japan's Aegis.

http://photo.hankooki.com/gisaphoto/20050504/vnok200505042035220K05040059Navy.jpg

Ivan Rapkinov
02 May 05, 20:26
on the same topic (kinda)...

Decision on Fighter Jets Due This Month

(Source: Korean Information Service; issued May 2, 2005)


The government will determine this month whether to buy additional next-generation fighter jets, after it completes introducing 40 F-15Ks under a procurement project, code-named F-X, the Defense Ministry said on Monday (May 2).

South Korea has been pushing to introduce another 40 fighters after it concludes the F-X project in 2009 to replace its aging F-5 and F-4 jets.

"The decision is expected to be made within May," said ministry spokesman Shin Hyun-don at a news briefing. "It’s a matter which needs approval by the president."

The ministry, the National Security Council and other government agencies have been working on details of the new project, Shin said.

South Korea maintains 680,000 troops to deter possible aggression from North Korea, which has a 1.1 million-member military, the world’s fifth largest.