Republic of Korea’s Navy launches new fleet command

Republic of Korea’s Navy has launched a new fleet command amid the growing threat from North Korea.

Yonhap reported on this.

“The Republic of Korea Navy Task Fleet Command, a core unit of the maritime three-axis system against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, which also protects the country’s maritime transportation routes, was launched as of Feb. 1,” the Navy stated in a release.

The maritime three-axis system refers to the maritime version of the military’s three-pronged deterrence structure comprising the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform, the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation system, and the Korea Air and Missile Defense.

In the event of a contingency, the command will send key destroyers to seas near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, and detect and intercept North Korean missiles while conducting precision strikes on core targets.

According to the Navy, the new command operates 10 destroyers and four auxiliary ships, including the new 8,200-ton Jeongjo the Great destroyer equipped with radar-evading functions and the newest Aegis combat system.

Ships built under South Korea’s next-generation destroyer project, referred to as KDDX, will also be assigned to the new command upon completion, it added.

KDDX destroyers

The ceremony of transferring the lead destroyer of the KDX-III Batch-II project – ROKS Jeongjo the Great – to the Republic of Korea Navy took place in November 2014.

The contract for constructing the Jeongjo the Great second series missile destroyer (Batch-II) was signed in 2019. Construction started in 2021. The destroyer was launched in July 2022 and has since undergone more than 550 tests.

In 2025, Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to launch the ROKS Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, the second destroyer in the series. Construction of the third destroyer began in October 2024.

The total cost of constructing the destroyers is estimated at 3.9 trillion won ($3.3 billion).

The new ship is 170 m long (3 m longer than the first series) and 21 m wide, with a standard displacement of 8100 tons (7,600 tons in the first series) and a maximum speed of 30 knots.

The ship is equipped with three types of vertical launchers:

• Mk 41 VLS with 48 cells at the bow for launching US anti-aircraft missiles capable of intercepting SM-2 Block IIIB/SM-3 Block IB/SM-6 Block I ballistic targets;
• K-VLS with 16 cells in the stern for launching Korean anti-submarine missiles K-ASROC Red Shark/Hyunmoo III cruise missiles/K-SAAM short-range anti-aircraft missiles;
• K-VLS II with 24 cells for launching Korean long-range anti-aircraft missiles capable of intercepting L-SAM ballistic missiles/Hyunmoo IV ballistic missiles.

In addition, the ship is equipped with 8 SSM-700K anti-ship missiles, a 127mm universal artillery gun, 2 Phalanx CIWS 20mm anti-aircraft artillery guns and two three-tube torpedo tubes.

Equipped with the Aegis system, the new destroyer is capable of reliably intercepting ballistic missiles.