Seoul, December 30, : , South Korea began construction on a brand new submarine of the same class, 3,600 tonnes in weight, with better ballistic missile capabilities.Officials announced this Thursday.According to Defense Acquisition Program Administration, (DAPA), the second unit of Changbogo-III Batch-II Class submarine is expected to be completed by 2026, and then handed to the Navy in 2028.
According to Yonhap News Agency, it will have 10 vertical launch tubes (SLBM) for submarine-launched missiles (SLBM), compared with six in Batch-I’s 3,000-tonne submarines.
However, the DAPA declined to provide any details citing security concerns.
It will be 89m long and 9.6m wide, with a lithium battery that partially powers it.This allows the submarine to go deeper underwater.
R.Adm.Jeon Yongkyu, who is leading the submarine project, stated that “we hope that the submarine (and other submarines) will play a key role in national security” and enable us to respond effectively to “omnidirectional threats.” The ceremony was held at a Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co.shipyard on Geoje’s southern island.
South Korea will soon have five submarines of the 3,000-tonne class when it is completed.
The country’s third and last Changbogo-III Batch-I submarine was launched in September.
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