South Korea Commissioned the Second Ulsan-Class Frigate

South Korea has commissioned the second Ulsan-class frigate of the III series, ROKS Gyeongbuk (FFG-829), at the SK Oceanplant shipyard with South Korean sensors.

The Republic of Korea Navy reported this on its Facebook page.

Gyeongbuk is the second ship of the Ulsan class of the III series after ROKS Chungnam. These ships are part of a phased modernization plan to replace older frigates and corvettes currently in service. The ship is designed to strengthen air and anti-submarine defense and will serve as the main warship of the navy.

Built under a contract signed in December 2021, the ROKS Gyeongbuk is equipped with a four-way fixed multifunctional phased array radar (MFR) and infrared detection and tracking systems. These systems are housed in an Integrated Sensor Mast (ISM) developed using stealth technologies. All of these sensors were developed using South Korean technology.

The ship is 129 meters long, 14.8 meters wide and 38.9 meters high, with a displacement of 3,600 tons. It is armed with a 16-cell universal vertical launcher KVLS (Korean Vertical Launching System), a 127 mm Mk.45 main gun, and a Korean-made K-SAAM anti-aircraft missile system.

In addition, the Chungnam frigates are the first in the South Korean Navy to receive LIG Nex1’s CIWS-II anti-aircraft gun systems for short-range air defense.

The previous frigate of this type was launched in April 2023. The commissioning of the Chungnam-class frigates into active service is an important milestone for the South Korean Navy, as FFX Batch III also serves as a test bed for new combat systems that will be equipped with future ships. Namely, the “integrated mast” and the CIWS-II anti-aircraft gun system.