ROK Ministry of National Defense releases video footages of DDH-II Class Destroyers.

The South Korean Ministry of National Defense is planning to release video sources of the main weapon systems on the Ministry's YouTube channel. Hereunder, Navy Recognition editorial team summarized the information of the first three videos presenting the DDH-II Class Destroyers.

Chungmugong Yi Sunshin Class destroyers are in service with the Republic of Korea Navy. The multi-purpose destroyer class was the second to be developed under the Korean Destroyer eXperimental (KDX) programme. Six ships were built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering between 2002 and 2006. The destroyer class is also known as DDH-II.

The lead ship in its class, Chungmugong Yi Sunshin (DDH-975), was launched in May 2002 and commissioned in November 2003. Munmu the Great (DDH-976) was launched in April 2003 and commissioned in September 2004. Dae Jo Yeong (DDH-977) was launched in November 2003 and commissioned in June 2005. Wang Geon (DDH-978) was launched in May 2005 and commissioned in November 2006. Kang Gam Chan (DDH-979) was launched in March 2006 and commissioned in October 2007. The final ship in the class, Choi Young (DDH-981), was launched in October 2006 and commissioned in September 2008.

ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH 976) during the RIMPAC 2006 (Picture source: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rebecca J. Moat)

ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976) is a Chungmugong Yi Sunshin Class destroyers in the South Korean navy. It was named after the Korean king Munmu of Silla.

It displaces at 4,430 tons (long) under standard loads and 5,435 tons (long) under full loads. Dimensions include a length of 492 feet, a beam of 57 feet and a draught down to 31 feet. Her crew complement numbers 300 and her powerplant is made up of a Combined Diesel Or Gas (CODOG) arrangement for maximum efficiency - she can make headway at nearly 30 knots.

In terms of armament, the ship sports a primary battery of 64 Vertical Launch Systems (VLSs) broken down as a 32-cell Mk 41 SM-2 Block IIIA (RIM-66 Standard) medium-range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) and a 32-cell battery housing "Hyunmoo III" series cruise missiles and "Hon SangEo" ("Red Shark") Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC) torpedoes. In addition to this, the warship carries 21 x RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RIMs) for close-in defense against inbound aerial threats and 8 x SSM-700K "Haeseong" Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) launchers.

ROKS Wang Geon (DDH-978) (Picture source: Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS imagery network)

ROKS Wang Geon (DDH-978)

Chungmugong Yi Sunshin Class destroyer of the South Korean Navy (Republic of Korea Navy) were developed as guided-missile destroyers with the lead ship commissioned in 2003. Since then, the class has accepted five more vessels and counts Wang Geon (DDH-978) as one of them. The Wang Geon was herself was launched on May 4th, 2005 and formally commissioned on November 10th, 2006, maintaining an active presence in the modern South Korean Navy as of this writing (2016).

In terms of armament, the ship sports a primary battery of 64 Vertical Launch Systems (VLSs) broken down as a 32-cell Mk 41 SM-2 Block IIIA (RIM-66 Standard) medium-range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) and a 32-cell battery housing "Hyunmoo III" series cruise missiles and "Hon SangEo" ("Red Shark") Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC) torpedoes. In addition to this, the warship carries 21 x RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RIMs) for close-in defense against inbound aerial threats and 8 x SSM-700K "Haeseong" Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) launchers. A 5" turreted naval gun is fitted at the forecastle and marks the only conventional weapon on the ship. All told, the Wang Geon can effectively handle threats emerging from the air, on the sea, inland or under the sea.

As guided-missile destroyers, the ships were given a "multi-mission" mindset and primary armament of missiles. The class provides an offshore and deepwater capability due to its modern multi-role design focus. It displaces at 4,430 tons (long) under standard loads and 5,435 tons (long) under full loads. Dimensions include a length of 492 feet, a beam of 57 feet and a draught down to 31 feet. Her crew complement numbers 300 and her powerplant is made up of a Combined Diesel Or Gas (CODOG) arrangement for maximum efficiency - she can make headway at nearly 30 knots.

ROKS Choe Yeong (DDH-981) (Picture source: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam K. Thomas)

ROKS Choe Yeong (DDH-981) is a Chungmugong Yi Sunshin Class destroyer in the South Korean navy. The ship is named after the 14th-century Korean general Choe Yeong. She is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer and entered service in 2006.

Choe Yeong was part of the second batch of Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyers that were delivered to the Republic of Korea Navy. She was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and was launched on 20 October 2006, entering service on 4 September 2008.

Its armament consists of a 32-cell VLS (with space to install a 64-cell system), a Mk 45 gun, a RAM launcher, a Goalkeeper CIWS and eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Other systems include AN/SPS-49 radar, MW08 radar, and a DSQ-23 sonar.

It displaces at 4,430 tons (long) under standard loads and 5,435 tons (long) under full loads. Dimensions include a length of 492 feet, a beam of 57 feet and a draught down to 31 feet. Her crew complement numbers 300 and her powerplant is made up of a Combined Diesel Or Gas (CODOG) arrangement for maximum efficiency - she can make headway at nearly 30 knots.