The Sejong the Great-class destroyers (Sejongdaewang-Geup Guchukam or Hangul: 세종대왕급 구축함, Hanja: 世宗大王級驅逐艦), also known as KD-III, are three guided missile destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). The second ship was commissioned in August 2010 and the third in August 2012. As at 2013, the ROKN has deployed three ships with an option for three more; in December 2013 the option to acquire the second three was taken up.[3]

Contents

1 Background 2 Armaments

2.1 Missile batteries

3 Capabilities

3.1 BMD

4 Hull names 5 Ships in the class 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Background[edit] The ship features the Aegis Combat System (Baseline 7 Phase 1) combined with AN/SPY-1D multi-function radar antennae. The Sejong the Great class is the third phase of the South Korean Navy's Korean Destroyer eXperimental (KDX) program, a substantial shipbuilding program, which is geared toward enhancing ROKN's ability to successfully defend the maritime areas around South Korea from various modes of threats as well as becoming a blue-water navy. At 8,500 tons standard displacement and 11,000 tons full load, the KDX-III Sejong the Great destroyers are by far the largest destroyers in the South Korean Navy,[4] and built slightly bulkier and heavier than Arleigh Burke-class destroyers or Atago-class destroyers to accommodate 32 more missiles. KDX-III are currently the largest ships to carry the Aegis combat system.[5] Armaments[edit] Sejong the Great-class destroyers' main gun is the 127 mm/L62 Mk. 45 Mod 4 naval gun, an improved version of the same gun used on other warships from several foreign nations. Point-defense armaments include one 30 mm Goalkeeper CIWS and a RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Block 1 21-round launcher, the first Aegis platform to carry RAM.[6] Anti-aircraft armament consists of SM-2 Block IIIA and IIIB[7][8] in 80-cell VLS. Anti-submarine warfare armaments consists of both K-ASROC Hong Sahng-uh (Red Shark) anti-submarine rockets and 32 K745 LW Cheong Sahng-uh (Blue Shark) torpedoes. Anti-ship capability is provided by 16 SSM-700K Hae Sung (Sea Star) long-range anti-ship missile, each with performance similar to the U.S. Harpoon. Land-attack capability is provided by the recently developed Hyunmoo-3C (Guardian of the Northern Sky) cruise missile, which is similar to the U.S. Tomahawk. Missile batteries[edit]

VLS: 128 cell

Mk 41 VLS 48 cell (Fwd) Mk 41 VLS 32 cell (Aft) K-VLS 48 cell (Aft)

Anti-ship missile launchers: 16

Capabilities[edit]

ROKS Sejong the Great

The Sejong the Great-class destroyers' are often compared to the Arleigh Burke and Atago classes because they utilize the AN/SPY-1 multi-function radar, have similar propulsion and capabilities. One notable difference between the Sejong the Great-class ships and Arleigh Burkes is the number of VLS cells. Destroyers of the Sejong the Great-class have a capacity of 128 missiles, as opposed to 96 on the Arleigh Burke class and the Japanese Atago-class destroyers. The Sejong the Great class is thus one of the most heavily armed ships in the world,[9] with even greater missile capacity than the U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser that has 122 VLS cells and the same capacity as the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Type 055 destroyer,[10] surpassed only by the Kirov-class battlecruiser with 352 missiles (entire missile load).[11] Another similarity to Arleigh Burke Flight IIA and Atago-class destroyers is the presence of full facilities for two helicopters, a feature missing from earlier Arleigh Burke and Kongō-class destroyers. These three destroyers have, according to South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the capability to "track and monitor any missile launched from anywhere from the North." This capability was demonstrated by the tracking of a North Korean missile in April 2009.[12] BMD[edit] In August 2016, press reports revealed that South Korea was considering adding the SM-3 interceptor to its Sejong the Great-class ships to enable them to perform ballistic missile defense in response to North Korean efforts to bolster offensive missile capabilities. This comes just months after the U.S. decision to deploy the THAAD missile interceptor system on mainland South Korea. The addition of SM-3s to the ships may require software and computer hardware upgrades.[13] The following month, Aegis manufacturer Lockheed Martin confirmed the next three Sejong the Great vessels will be capable of performing "integrated air and missile defense" (IAMD) to supplement U.S. Army ground-based missile interceptors on the peninsula, likely being outfitted with the SM-3. While the first three destroyers are fitted with Aegis Baseline 7 based on older proprietary computers that can't carry out IAMD operations, the following three will be fitted with the Baseline 9 version of the Aegis Combat System that combines modern computing architecture to allow the AN/SPY-1D(v) radar to perform air warfare and BMD missions at the same time.[14] Hull names[edit] On April 20, 2007, Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy announced that the lead ship of KDX-III class destroyers will be referred as Sejong the Great. Sejong the Great (Hangul: 세종대왕) is the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He is credited with the creation of the Korean alphabet, Hangul. Ships in the class[edit]

Name Pennant number Builder Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Status

ROKS Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕함) DDG-991 Hyundai Heavy Industries 25 May 2007 22 December 2008

Active

ROKS Yulgok Yi I (Korean: 율곡 이이함) DDG-992 Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering 14 November 2008 31 August 2010

Active

ROKS Seoae Yu Seong-ryong[15](Korean: 서애 유성룡함) DDG-993 Hyundai Heavy Industries 24 March 2011 30 August 2012

Active

On 10 December 2013 the ROKN confirmed ordering three more vessels on the same class.[3] See also[edit]

List of naval ship classes in service Korean Destroyer eXperimental Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyer Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer

References[edit]

^ Pike, John. "KDX-III Destroyer".  ^ http://www.nex1.co.kr/ ^ a b "ROK (Republic of Korea) Navy to increase KDX-III Aegis destroyers to six by 2027". December 11, 2013.  ^ "Koreas KDX-III AEGIS Destroyers".  ^ "Aegis Weapon System Verified During Korean Navy Ship TrialsDefenceTalk.com - at DefenceTalk". www.defencetalk.com.  ^ "KDX-III / DDH-III Sejongdaewang". Guide to Military Equipment and Civil Aviation. Retrieved 2009-04-07. These ships will be the world's first combining proven AEGIS and RAM.  ^ "Korea to acquire new missiles for Aegis destroyer". The Korea Herald. 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2009-06-27.  ^ "Republic of Korea - SM-2 Standard Missiles" (PDF). Defense Security Cooperation Agency. 2009-05-26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2009-06-27.  ^ Burleson, Mike (2010-05-25). "South Korean Naval Plight Our Own". New Wars. Retrieved 2011-11-10.  ^ China's New Guided Missile Destroyer To Be Its Biggest Yet - Popularmachanics.com, 24 October 2016 ^ Kirov class - Military-Today.com ^ "Korea Launches 3rd Aegis Destroyer".  ^ Report: South Korea Wants BMD Capability for Guided Missile Destroyers - News.USNI.org, 15 August 2016 ^ New South Korean Destroyers to Have Ballistic Missile Defense Capability - News.USNI.org, 6 September 2016 ^ "NAVSEA on Flight III Arleigh Burkes - USNI News". 7 June 2013. 

External links[edit]

KDX-III Destroyer KDX-III armaments

v t e

Sejong the Great-class destroyers

Sejong the Great Yulgok Yi I Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong

Preceded by: Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class Followed by: None

List of destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy

v t e

  Commissioned ships of the Republic of Korea Navy  

Destroyers

Sejong the Great class

Sejong the Great Yulgok Yi I Seoae Yu Seong-ryong

Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class

Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin Munmu the Great Dae Jo-yeong Wang Geon Gang Gam-chan Choe Yeong

Gwanggaeto the Great class

Gwanggaeto the Great Eulji Mundeok Yang Manchun

Submarines

Son Won-il class

Son Won-il Jeong Ji An Jung-geun Kim Jwa-jin Yun Bong-gil Yu Gwan-sun Hong Beom-do Lee Beom-seok Shin Dol-seok

Chang Bogo class

Chang Bogo Lee Cheon Choi Museon Park Wi Lee Jongmu Jung Woon Lee Sunsin Na Daeyong Lee Eokgi

Dolgorae class

ROKS SSM-052 ~ 053

Frigates

Ulsan class

Ulsan Seoul Chungnam Masan Gyeongbuk Jeonnam Jeju Busan Cheongju

Incheon class

Incheon Gyeonggi Jeonbuk Gangwon Chungbuk Gwangju

Daegu class

Daegu

Corvettes

Pohang class

Gyeongju Mokpo Gimcheon Chungju Jinju Yeosu Jinhae Suncheon Iri Wonju Andong Bucheon Seongnam Jecheon Daecheon Sokcho Yeongju Namwon Gwangmyeong Sinseong Gongju

Donghae class

Donghae Suwon Gangneung Anyang

Patrol ships

Gumdoksuri class

Yoon Youngha Han Sanggook Jo Chunhyung Hwang Dohyun Suh Hoowon Park Donghyuk Jung Geungmo

Chamsuri class

ROKS PKM-2xx ~ 3xx

Amphibious warfare ships

Dokdo-class LPH

Dokdo

Go Jun Bong-class LST

Go Jun Bong Bi Ro Bong Hyang Ro Bong Sung In Bong

Cheon Wang Bong-class LST

Cheon Wang Bong tbc tbc tbc

Solgae-class LSF

ROKS LSF-621 ~ 623, 631 ~ 632

Mine counter measures vessels

Wonsan class

Wonsan

Ganggyeong class

Ganggyeong Gangjin Goryeong Gimpo Gochang Geumhwa

Yangyang class

Yangyang Ongjin Haenam

Auxiliary ships

Cheonji-class AOE

Cheonji Daecheong Hwacheon

Cheonghaejin-class ASR

Cheonghaejin

Pyeongtaek-class ATS

Pyeongtaek Gwangyang

Sincheonji-class AGS

Sincheonji

Sinsegi-class AGS

Sinsegi

Dadohae-class