South Korean Navy commissions second KSS-III submarine

Asia-Pacific, News April 24, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that the country’s naval forces have officially commissioned KSS-III ROKS Ahn Moo (SS-084) submarine into its fleet.

The ceremony took place on April 20, 2023, at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard in Geoje, South Korea. The submarine has been jointly designed by South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries.

After commission, the submarine would go under further tests, evaluation, and crew training for the next eight months. The submarine would be ready for its first deployment in 2024.

The submarine’s keel was laid in 2016, and the launching ceremony to November 10, 2020, amidst the peak of the pandemic. The vessel went through extensive tests before being finally delivered to ROK Navy where further trials are planned.

KSS-III submarines are also classified as the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho class submarines. It is the first class of submarines in the South Korean Navy. DAPA claims that at least 76% of the submarine technology and production material is sourced locally.

A KSS-III submarine is 83.5 meters in length, 9.6 meters in width, and 14.7m in height. The submarine weighs 3,358 tons on the surface and 3,705 tons when fully submerged. It can sail at the speed of 20 knots powered by its diesel-electric engine. The vessel has a maximum cruise range of around 10,000 nautical miles. It also features an air-independent propulsion system, a propulsion mechanism that allows the vessel to operate underwater more quietly for up to a few weeks of time.

Armaments and Sensors

The submarine features an array of basic armaments as well as cutting-edge sensors and communication equipment. The submarines are equipped with six cell Vertical Launching System (VLS) which can launch South Korea’s indigenously produced Hyunmoo-IV-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), a derivative of the successful Hyunmoo-missile family. It is also equipped with six 533 mm forward-firing torpedo tubes for firing locally produced Tiger Shark heavyweight torpedoes.

*^{South Korean Navy’s KSS-III Batch-I submarine Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (SS-083),3,000 built with indigenous technology. (Image Credit: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering)}*

The KSS-III class of submarines features Naval Shield Integrated Combat Management System developed by South Korean defense manufacturer Hanhwa. The submarine’s sonar suite was developed by South Korea’s LIG Nex1. The Sonar Suite consists of noise-analysis and noise-reduction technology and series 30 attack and searches optronic mast, developed by France’s Safran.

The South Korean navy would receive a total of five KSS-III submarines. The first submarine was commissioned in 2022, while three more submarines are expected to be delivered by 2025.