South Korea Builds First Electrically Powered Warship: Not Using US Aegis, Equipped With Laser-Based Weapons?

Illustration of South Korean warships. (Wikimedia Commons/Republic of Korea Armed Forces)

JAKARTA - The Republic of Korea's Navy will have the country's first electric-powered attack ship, the main asset for maritime powers to own weapons and future-oriented operating systems.

The 6,500-ton Korean Destroyer Next-Generation (KDDX) project is in the early design stage and will be completed by the end of this year. The ship will be equipped with an electric power system, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

In 2020, Korean shipbuilding giant HD Hyundai Heavy Industries won a tender to build the ship, as reported by the Korea Times on May 15.

The company said it plans to complete and supply six KDDXs by 2036. The fleet will invest about 6 trillion won (4.4 billion US dollars), with detailed specifications and designs to follow the steps of the initial construction, which will be decided starting next year..

Last month, representatives from DAPA reportedly visited the defense industry in the United States, where both sides discussed ensuring the safety and reliability of an integrated electric propulsion system for warships.

KDDX is expected to be similar to electric vehicles, which receive propulsion and operating power from electric motors instead of internal combustion engines, and choose to exit traditional transmission gear systems.

Without a transmission system, the new ship will not only increase energy efficiency but also reduce unnecessary noise, the main danger for attack ships when involved in combat situations with enemy submarines.

Electricity is also expected to allow ships to operate future weapons systems that require very high voltage levels, such as railguns or other laser-based weapons. The radar system for ships can also be maximized using a new power system.

Furthermore, the basic theory of KDDX is to supply the required electricity itself generated by running a gas turbine generator along with a diesel generator. The resulting power then not only rotates the ship's propellers, but also gives the ship 'eating' with its operating power sources.

Meanwhile, the Stealth feature, the ability that will keep the ship under enemy radar, will also not be possible without an integrated pole, the main features of the ship that comprehensively controls various radars on board and provides other strategic functions.

Also called the I-Mast, this pole is made with Korean technology and functions as a detector and ship communications antenna, which features functions including an active electronic scanning array (AESA), infrared search and tracking (IRST), as well as friend identification or opponent (IFF).

Interestingly, unlike the current large number of attack ships on maritime missions, KDDX will not use the Aegis Combat System (ACS), replacing it with a Korean-made ACS and dubbed the destroyer "a Korean mini-Aegis ship."

It is known that ACS, now produced by US defense company Lockheed Martin, has been installed on more than 100 ships in various naval fleets, including South Korea's Sejong the Great Class destroyers to destroyers from Japan, Spain, Norway and Australia.