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| Specifications of the South Korean CVX Carrier |
International Military - South Korea has officially abandoned the CVX carrier program for the next fiscal year. The project is part of South Korea's aspirations to build its first aircraft carrier. However, the project has yet to receive funding as part of the country's proposed 2023 defense budget. The budget proposal was submitted to the DPR on September 2, 2022.
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Quoted from the Eurasian Times, for its defense spending in 2023, the South Korean government has requested an increase of 4.6% from 2022. Where the total value is 57.12 trillion won, or about 42.4 billion US dollars. Of this amount, 17.9 trillion won, or approximately 13.3 billion US dollars, will be set aside for the new purchasing program, with the remaining money for maintenance and operations.
The termination of the ambitious program can be attributed to a change in strategy due to the exacerbated threat from an aggressive North Korea. However, some believe this has more to do with expanding the scope and costs of an aircraft carrier design that the budget may not be able to accommodate. The development, however, has overshadowed the operation of the carrier-capable F-35B fighter jet.
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| South Korea CVX Carrier Project |
Quoted from Naval News, the CVX program evolved from the eXperimental Landing Platform (LPX) program. Where is the one that produced the largest ship operated by the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) so far, namely the Dokdo class amphibious assault ship.
The original plan, dubbed the LPX-II, envisaged an amphibious assault ship like a ship that would also be capable of operating combat aircraft. However, in August 2020, ROKN officially announced plans to acquire a complete aircraft carrier. The term CVX itself was introduced in February 2021. ROKN also hopes that the CVX will be ready to operate in 2033.
The CVX is estimated to cost 2.3 trillion won (2 billion US dollars) to build and about 50 billion won (45 million US dollars) per year for maintenance. The vessel will be 265 m long, 43 m wide and have a light and maximum displacement of about 30,000 tonnes and 40,000 tonnes, respectively.
The ship will be able to operate 16 F-35B fighters as well as eight helicopters. It will also feature a high degree of automation and have a crew of 440 complement, excluding air elements. The carrier will have two islands, similar to the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth (QE) class, but not ski jumps.
The CVX will be equipped with an AESA radar designed by Hanwha for the “integrated pylon” on the KDDX destroyer. The S band radar will have a range of 300 km for long range detection of aircraft, while the X band radar will be used for short range detection.
The carrier will also feature the LIG Nex1 torpedo acoustic countermeasures, the Haegung surface-to-air missile system (K-SAAM), and the close weapons system (CIWS) for point defense.