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| Photo Courtesy: ROK Navy |
International Military - Being able to make their own warships is certainly a country's pride, considering that not many can do it. It didn't stop there, being able to equip its own warships with weapons that were also developed personally became the pinnacle of pride for a country. And that is what South Korea has achieved.
Quoted from Naval News, South Korea succeeded in building a Daegu Class frigate with a weight of 2,800 tons, a length of 122 m, a width of 14 m and a height of 34 m. The Daegu Class frigate is equipped with a number of weapons systems manufactured by the local company LIG Nex1
The armament includes anti-submarine missiles, anti-surface missiles and tactical land cruise missiles. Here's his profile
LIG Nex1
Quoted from Reuters, LIG Nex1 is a company based in South Korea which is engaged in the research, development and production of weapons systems. Including the development of missiles, radio equipment, radar, torpedoes, and other defense products.
LIG Nex1 manufactures weapons for the global defense industry and operates throughout South Korea. So, what local armaments are attached to the South Korean Navy's Daegu Class frigates?
Hong Sang Eo (Red Shark) anti-submarine missile
The anti-submarine missile was jointly developed with the South Korean Defense Development Agency (ADD) and weapons company LIG Nex1, with a total development cost of around USD 80 million.
The country has invested about USD 145 million in the manufacture of this missile and has been increasing its production capacity since 2013. South Korea has produced 70 Red Shark missiles which will be used on several of its newest destroyers, including the Daegu Class frigates.
The way it operates is, the missile will be launched vertically or upwards and will fly for 12 miles before it sinks into the sea to track and destroy the target, Zonajakarta quoted Naval Technology as saying.
In addition, ADD and LIG Nex1 have also collaborated to develop other types of missiles, namely the Blue Shark (lightweight) and White Shark (heavyweight). The Hong Sang Eo or Red Shark anti-submarine missile underwent nineg years of development before completing final tests in early 2009.
SSM-700K Haeseong anti surface anti-ship missile
In September 2011, South Korean defense officials confirmed the development of a supersonic cruise missile based on the Haeseong I anti-ship missile and named Haeseong II. This missile is designed to be able to move faster than Mach 1 and can evade enemy defense systems.
According to Military History, the development of the SSM-700K was developed without US assistance and is not offered for export due to missile restrictions. This missile will be launched vertically or upwards, then it will accelerate at its Mach 1 speed and reach a target more than 500 kilometers away.
The version designed to operate under the sea from the submarine is the Haeseong III. The SSM-700K Haeseong missile is believed to have been in service since 2013.
Haeryong SSM-701K (Sea Dragon) tactical land cruise missile
Haeryong or sea dragon is a tactical land attack missile launched from a surface ship capable of carrying out stand-off attacks. The attacks included either a surface-to-ship missile base or a fire-and-control artillery radar base, data from add.re.kr.
The Haeryong missile is equipped with a sub-munition warhead which means it is capable of destroying targets over a wide area. The way it operates, it can be launched in both tilt and vertical launchers. This allows it to operate on a variety of surface ships, from small frigates to destroyers.