South Korean Navy Holds Anti-Ship Warfare Exercises and Ballistic Missile Tracking

South Korean warships are in training in the East Sea on Monday. (Source: AL South Korea)

JAKARTA - The South Korean Navy held its first fleet-level maneuvering exercise in the South and East Seas, simulating anti-ship warfare and ballistic missile tracking, involving three Aegis destroyers and four other warships in commemoration of its 80th anniversary, officials said Tuesday.

The three-day exercise, which began Sunday, marked the Navy's first involving the Commander of the Marine Task Force Command, which was launched in February to more effectively counter North Korean military threats at sea.

Marking the Navy's 80th anniversary, which falls on Tuesday, the exercise, upgraded from its previous flotilla-level exercise, involved the Aegis destroyers Jeongjo the Great, ROKS Yulgok Yi I, and ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, in addition to four other warships and three aircraft.

"Through this first fleet-level maritime maneuvering exercise, we have been able to verify the command's operational capability to carry out mandated missions anytime and anywhere," said Rear Admiral Kim In-ho, Commander of the Navy Task Force Command, as reported by The Korea Times on November 11.

In Monday's drills, disclosed to the media, the ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, a key component of South Korea's preventive strike and missile defense system, sailed through the blue waters of the East Sea ahead of a formation of destroyers and other warships.

The participating ships conducted anti-ship, anti-submarine, and anti-air warfare exercises, as well as ballistic missile detection and tracking drills.

At one point during the anti-ship firing exercise, the destroyer Jeongjo the Great and other warships, in neat formation, fired 15 rounds each at a simulated target approximately eight kilometers away, following a countdown and subsequent firing orders.

The maritime maneuvering exercise also featured ships exhibiting various formations, starting with a straight line before spreading out into diamond-like and arrow-like shapes.

During the anti-air exercises, the ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong also conducted air defense drills, detecting and intercepting aircraft and guided missiles in simulated combat conditions in the East Sea.

Yesterday's exercise also included operations at the Combat Command Center, where personnel practiced detecting targets on radar and launching simulated attacks on enemy aircraft and guided missiles, as well as mobile logistics support to maintain combat readiness at sea through the provision of ammunition, fuel and other supplies.