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.
The submarine VLS comes on the heels of the development of the ship-launched Cheonryong missile, which has a range of 500 kilometers. Cheonryong is a modified variant of the surface-to-surface Hyunmoo III-A ballistic missile co-developed by the ADD and LIG Nex1, a precision electronic weapon maker.
The Cheonryong is said to have also been modified to be installed on the 1,800-ton Type-214 submarine built by Hyundai with technical assistance from HDW.
Currently, South Korea's Navy operates nine Type-209s and three Type-214 subs, all of which are diesel- and electric-powered.
Beginning in 2018, Seoul plans to build 3,000-ton KSS-III subs fitted with domestically built submarine combat systems jointly developed by the ADD and Samsung Thales.
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.
The submarine VLS comes on the heels of the development of the ship-launched Cheonryong missile, which has a range of 500 kilometers. Cheonryong is a modified variant of the surface-to-surface Hyunmoo III-A ballistic missile co-developed by the ADD and LIG Nex1, a precision electronic weapon maker.
The Cheonryong is said to have also been modified to be installed on the 1,800-ton Type-214 submarine built by Hyundai with technical assistance from HDW.
Currently, South Korea's Navy operates nine Type-209s and three Type-214 subs, all of which are diesel- and electric-powered.
Beginning in 2018, Seoul plans to build 3,000-ton KSS-III subs fitted with domestically built submarine combat systems jointly developed by the ADD and Samsung Thales.
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