''Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin'' class destroyers (,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 忠武公李舜臣級驅逐艦) are multipurpose destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship of this class, ROKS ''Chungmugong Yi Sunsin'', was launched in May 2002 and commissioned in December 2003. ''Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin''-class destroyers were the second class of ships to be produced in the Republic of Korea Navy's destroyer mass-production program named Korean Destroyer eXperimental, which paved the way for the navy to become a blue-water navy. Six ships were launched by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in four years.

Weapon systems

The ships have a 32-cell strike-length Mk 41 VLS for SM-2 Block IIIA area-air defence missiles, one 21-round RAM inner-layer defence missile launcher, one 30 mm

Goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...

close-in weapon system, one Mk 45 Mod 4 127 mm gun, eight

Harpoon A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target ani ...

anti-ship missiles and two triple 324 mm anti-submarine torpedo tubes. The electronics suite includes one Raytheon

AN/SPS-49 The AN/SPS-49 is a United States Navy two-dimensional, long range air search radar built by Raytheon that can provide contact bearing and range. It is a primary air-search radar for numerous ships in the U.S. fleet and in Spain, Poland, Taiw ...

(V)5 2D long-range radar (LRR), one Thales Nederland MW08 target indication

3D radar 3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality * Three-dimensional space ** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data ** 3D film, a ...

(TIR), two Thales Nederland STIR240 fire-control radars with OT-134A Continuous Wave Illumination (CWI) transmitters, an SLQ-200(V)K SONATA electronic warfare system and a KDCOM-II combat management system which is derived from the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate's SSCS combat management system. BAE Systems WDS Mk 14 originally developed for the US Navy's New Threat Upgrade evaluates threats, prioritizes them, and engages them in order with SM-2. On the 4th unit, ROKS ''Wang Geon'', the 32-cell Mk 41 VLS is moved to the left and an indigenous VLS named

K-VLS The Korean Vertical Launching System (K-VLS or KVLS) is a vertical launch weapon system developed by South Korea to be deployed by the Republic of Korea Navy. It is used in the Sejong the Great-class destroyer, and is scheduled to be added to the D ...

is installed on the right. The ship's forward part is spacious enough to take a 56-cell Mk 41 VLS.

Design

The KDX-II is part of a much larger build up program aimed at turning the ROKN into a blue-water navy. It is said to be the first stealthy major combatant in the ROKN and was designed to significantly increase the ROKN's capabilities.

Ships in the class

Gallery

File:ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH 976).jpg, ROKS ''Munmu the Great'' (DDH-976) during RIMPAC 2006 File:RoK warship Dae Jo Yeong (DDG 977).jpg, ROKS ''Dae Jo Yeong'' (DDH-977) being guided into Naval Base San Diego File:ROKS Kang Gamchan steams by a line of ROK Navy ships during the International Fleet Review.jpg, ROKS ''Kang Gamchan'' (DDH-979) during International Fleet Review File:Choi Young (DDH-981) cropped.jpg, ROKS ''Choi Young'' (DDH-981) during joint exercise "Invincible Spirit"

Variants

KDX-IIA

KDX-IIA is a proposed variant of the KDX-II. It will be armed with the advanced

Aegis Combat System The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and it is now produced by Lockheed Martin. Initially used by the United States Navy, Aegis is now used also by ...

and will have enhanced features of KDX-II such as stealth. The ship has been offered to the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

Arsenal ship

On August 14, 2019, the Ministry of National Defense unveiled a five year defense plan between 2020 and 2024. The defense plan called for two new naval projects to be developed: the LPX-II-Class Aircraft Carrier and an arsenal ship. The design of the arsenal ship is said to be based on the KDX-II destroyer and is expected to be completed by the late 2020s.