Dokdo class landing platform experimental
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| Dokdo class amphibious landing ship | |
|---|---|
| Ship launched: | July 12, 2005 |
| Ship displacement: | 14,300 tons (empty) / 18,800 tons (full) |
| Length: | 199 m |
| Beam: | 31 m |
| Draught: | 7 m |
| Speed: | 23 knots (max), 18 knots cruising |
| Ship complement: | 300 |
| Ship armament: | Two Goalkeeper CIWS, One RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile |
| Aircraft: | Max 10 helicopters |
| Landing Craft: | 2 LSF-II or LCAC |
| Troops: | 720 marines, 6 tanks, 7 amphibious assault vehicles, 10 trucks |
The LPX project was the Republic of Korea Navy's new amphibious landing ship project for which Hanjin Heavy Industries has provided the general design package. The ROK Navy's requirements for the new amphibious landing ships were to enhance Korea's current amphibious operation capability, both in terms of assault and military operations other than war (MOOTW) type operations.
On 12 July 2005, Dokdo (LPH 6111), the lead ship of her class, was launched at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Constructions Co. in Busan. The ship was named after the Dokdo islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). She is scheduled to be handed over to the South Korean Navy in 2007.
The first air cushion landing craft (LSF 631) of LSF-II project will be delivered for Dokdo in April, 2007.
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[edit] First Steps to a Blue Water Navy
In a speech delivered in March 2001, then President Kim Dae Jung stated that his administration was aiming to build a navy that "will defend the national interests in the five oceans and perform a role in defending world peace." By the year 2020, the ROK Navy plans to deploy two or three rapid response fleets, each comprising of 1 LPX, 2 KDX-III, 4 KDX-II, 1 KDX-I and possibly a number of FFX frigates and two or three SSX submarines.
- See also: Military of South Korea
[edit] Specifications
LPX is a versatile helicopter ship, and includes a rear flooding deck to accommodate Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV's) and two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC). The ship is 199 metres long, 31 metres wide, with a 14,000 ton(empty)/18,000 ton (full) displacement.
This means that LPX is not only the largest vessel in the South Korean Navy but also substantially larger than the Osumi-class landing ships (8,900 tons) of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, and with a larger payload capacity as well, making it the largest of its kind in the region. Previously, the largest ship in the Korean Navy was the 9,000-ton at-sea Underway Replenishment (UNREP) support vessel Cheonji.
As a high-speed amphibious ship, LPX was based on the concept of "over-the-horizon assault." As the name indicates, the "over-the-horizon assault" comprises a military operation in which an amphibious landing operation is conducted with high-speed air-cushioned vehicles and helicopters from beyond the horizon, where they can't be easily detected or attacked by the enemy. The conventional LST (landing ship tank) has to approach the coastline for landing, at the risk of being fired upon by the enemy.
The LPX can carry 720 marines (+300 crew members), 6 tanks, 10 trucks, 7 AAV's, three field artillery pieces, 7 helicopters, and two LCAC hovercrafts capable of landing on enemy shores doing 40 knots—a mix that enables it to launch troop landings from both sea and air.
Self-defense armament includes the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile system, meaning that South Korea is one of three countries in the world, after Germany and the United States to own one. The Goalkeeper Close-in weapon system (CIWS) was purchased in January 2003 from Thales, at per-set price of 13,000,000,000 won (roughly $15,000,000).
[edit] Semi-Aircraft Carrier
Dokdo is both larger (length and beam) as well as bigger (total displacement) than the Spanish Navy's current aircraft carrier SPS Príncipe de Asturias. The ship is designed so that it can operate VSTOL aircraft with minimal modification.
If it was equipped with a ski jump board module, 15-17 meters in length, VSTOL aircraft such as the Harrier or F-35B can be launched from the deck. Its flight deck is coated with special urethane material to resist heat generated from aircraft engines.[1]
However, the South Korean government denies that the ship will be used as an aircraft carrier; the ROK Navy classifies the ship as LPH (Landing Transport Helicopter).[2]
[edit] Future Plans
Some proposed uses for the ship include UN peacekeeping operations and disaster relief. For this reason, the LP-X is expected to usher in a new era of expanded Korean naval activity, since it can be used for relief, transport, and other peacetime activities.
The ROK Navy has plans to develop another similar ship by 2010. This unit will be named after Marado Island, which is located 11 kilometres offshore from Moseulpo harbor. Marado Island is commonly thought of as being both the ending and beginning point of Korea. Today a monument stands there recognizing it as the southernmost point of the country.
The third unit is to be named after Baengnyeong Island, which is located in the Yellow Sea near the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) with North Korea. Baekryeong Island is the territory administered by South Korea that is closest to the NLL. It was an important military base and the site of fierce combat during the Korean War.
[edit] References
- ^ Globalsecurity.org
- ^ "독도함 시운전 보도에 대한 해군의 입장". Republic of Korea Navy Official Website. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
