S. Korea Develops Vertical Launch Tubes for Subs

SEOUL - A top shipbuilder in South Korea has developed a vertical launching system (VLS) to be installed on heavy attack submarines that will be deployed after 2018, according to procurement and industry officials here.

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, the world's second-largest shipbuilder, developed the VLS in cooperation with the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD), officials from Daewoo and ADD said.

Daewoo, which built the 1,300-ton, Type-209 submarine with technical cooperation from HDW of Germany, is a subcontractor for the 3,000-ton KSS-III submarine to be jointly designed and built with its rival Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's biggest shipyard.

S Korean Navy receives first Phalanx weapon system

TUCSON (BNS): Raytheon has delivered the first Phalanx weapon system to the South Korean Navy for deployment on its new Ulsan-1 class frigate.

The Phalanx Block 1B weapon system will be fitted on the lead ship of the 2,300-ton frigate class this year, Raytheon said. 

It represents Phalanx's introduction into the Republic of South Korean Navy's fleet, the defence firm said, adding that it expects to sign a contract with South Korea for an additional five Phalanx systems in near future.

S Korean Navy to launch third Aegis destroyer this month

SEOUL (BNS): The South Korean Navy will launch its third Aegis guided missile destroyer this month, the official media reported Thursday.

The new warship, named Yu Seong-ryong, will be the third of the 7,600-ton King Sejong the Great class of destroyers which are equipped with US-made state-of-the-art Aegis air defence systems.

The new ship, being built by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, is scheduled to be commissioned into service in 2012.

South Korea To Deploy Guided Imaging Rockets On Border Islands

SEOUL - South Korea plans to eventually deploy precision-guided rockets jointly developed with the United States on islands near the disputed western sea border with North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Feb. 4.

The deployment of the Low-Cost Guided Imaging Rocket (LOGIR) is aimed at thwarting a possible infiltration by North Korean combat hovercraft in the western waters of the Korean Peninsula, a JCS spokesman said.

Previously, the local Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have detected construction work being done for a base in the Koampo area in Hwanghae province, just 50 to 60 kilometers from South Korea's Baengnyeong Island, one of the five islands near the NLL.