SoKor Navy Upgrades World's Most Heavily-Armed Destroyer

The first in the new line of KDX III ships launches, with delivery expected by November 2024, the South Korean Navy destroyer Jeongjo the Great, named after an 18th-century king, will be able to fire surface-to-air missiles with twice the range of those on previous ships of the same class, Liu Zhen reported for the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Photo Insert: The KDX III class is a 10,500-ton (10,334-ton) guided-missile destroyer featuring the US Aegis combat system.

The KDX III class is a 10,500-ton (10,334-ton) guided-missile destroyer featuring the US Aegis combat system.

When the first KDX III ship, Sejong the Great, entered service in 2008 it was considered Asia’s largest and most powerful destroyer. The destroyer, named after a 15th-century Korean king, has up to 128 vertical launching system (VLS) cells – more than any other warship in the world.

The Batch II destroyer has an improved Aegis naval weapons system and will be loaded with new types of helicopters. Its armaments, including its close-in weapon system, have also been upgraded.

To accommodate the changes, Jeongjo the Great is slightly larger than previous KDX III destroyers. It has 88 VLS cells, some of them modified for more advanced missiles. The Batch II ships will be able to fire surface-to-air SM-6 missiles with a range of 370km (230 miles) – twice the range of the missiles on Batch I destroyers.

The upgraded Aegis system also enables the use of SM-3 or L-SAM interceptor missiles.

When China’s Type 055 guided-missile destroyer was revealed in 2017, it surpassed Sejong the Great in size with a displacement of 12,000 tons. The Type 055 was also considered a stronger contender for the title of Asia’s most powerful destroyer because of its next-generation design, while Sejong the Great was largely based on the US Arleigh Burke-class destroyers from the 1990s.

The Type 055 has more advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the latest electronics. Its 112 VLS cells, though fewer than those of Sejong the Great, are believed to have balanced air-defense, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine missile portfolio.

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