S. Korean Navy gets new frigate with reinforced anti-sub capabilities

Defense 09:56 March 02, 2023

SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Navy has received a new frigate with enhanced anti-submarine capabilities, the state arms procurement agency said Thursday, amid the country's stepped-up efforts to strengthen readiness against growing North Korean threats.

The delivery event for the new 2,800-ton frigate, Pohang, took place at the Okpo shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, its manufacturer, in Geoje, 333 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Tuesday, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

The new frigate is the sixth warship produced as part of the country's frigate acquisition program, code-named FFX Batch-II. The Navy seeks to procure eight vessels under the program designed to replace the aging fleet of 1,500-ton frigates and 1,000-ton corvettes.

The new 122-meter-long vessel can carry various weapons, including ship-to-ship guided missiles, as well as a helicopter for naval operations. It also has improved capabilities to detect and attack submarines with a towed array sonar system and a long-range anti-submarine torpedo, according to DAPA.

It is set to come into service following an operational training period, DAPA said.

"The Pohang is expected to play a big role as not only a main Navy vessel in the future but also to enhance operational capabilities for joint civil-government-military operations," Bang Guck-cheol, head of DAPA's naval ship program department, was quoted as saying.