New 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer delivered to Navy

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New 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer delivered to Navy

Published: 27 Nov. 2024, 15:26 Updated: 27 Nov. 2024, 15:59

The 8,200-ton Jeongjo the Great Aegis destroyer is seen in a photo provided by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration Wednesday. [YONHAP]

A new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer armed with an advanced missile interception platform was delivered to the Navy on Wednesday, the state arms procurement agency said, in a move to bolster the Navy's air defense capabilities against North Korean missiles.

The Jeongjo the Great destroyer, named after a visionary king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), was delivered to the Navy in a ceremony held at a HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan, some 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

The 170-meter-long, 21-meter-wide destroyer is equipped with radar-evading functions and the newest Aegis combat system capable of not only detecting and tracking ballistic missiles but also intercepting them.

The warship is expected to be fitted with the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) ship-based surface-to-air missile system that is capable of intercepting incoming ballistic missiles at altitudes above 100 kilometers.

In April, the state arms procurement agency said its weapons program review committee approved a plan to acquire the SM-3s through government-to-government foreign military sales.

The destroyer is also equipped with an integrated sonar system developed with homegrown technology that enables enhanced detection of North Korean submarines and torpedoes, and is capable of carrying the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, according to DAPA.

"Equipped with the latest Aegis combat system, homegrown integrated sonar system and vertical launching system, the Jeongjo the Great destroyer is anticipated to play a role in defending national security," Shin Hyun-seung, director-general of DAPA's Naval Ship Program Dept., said in a release.

The Jeongjo the Great destroyer is the first of three 8,200-ton Aegis destroyers that Seoul aims to acquire under the Gwanggaeto-III Batch-II project. It is South Korea's fourth Aegis destroyer after the ROKS King Sejong the Great, the ROKS Yulgok Yi I and the ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong.

Yonhap