Posted on 05/21/2018 6:00:31 AM PDT by BBell
South Korea has launched its second amphibious assault ship.
On May 14, South Korean officials launched the second Dokdo-class helicopter carrier. The ceremony took place in Busan at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction, the company that built the vessel. Among those in attendance were Defense Minister Song Young-moo and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Um Hyun-seong, according to local news outlets.
Construction of the second Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship, named Marado, began in 2016. The ship will be the second largest ship in the Republic of Korea’s Navy, after the first Dokdo-class ship. Displacing 14,500 tons, the ship has a width of thirty-one meters and a length of 199 meters. The Marado can also sail at speeds approaching forty-one kilometers per hour. According to Yonhap News Agency, “It has a 20-mm Phalanx close-in weapons system, as well, while the Dokdo [the first ship in the class] is installed with the 30-mm Goalkeeper gun.” The Marado will be delivered to the South Korean Navy in late 2020 following testing.
The lead vessel in the class was launched in 2005 and commissioned in 2007. At the time, South Korea intended to build three ships, but funding constraints caused Seoul to eventually cancel the third—and temporarily, the second one as well, but funding for that one was later restored. Media reports have said that the Dokdo-class vessels can operate fifteen helicopters and can transport around 700 marines (in addition to a crew of roughly 300 sailors).
Large amphibious assault ships like the Dokdo-class are sometimes referred to as “aircraft carriers in disguise.” This is certainly apt in the case of Japan’s Izumo-class helicopter destroyers. Those ships are roughly 250 meters (820 feet) long and displace 24,000 tons. The Izumos are about 50 percent bigger (in terms of displacement) than Japan’s previously largest ship, the Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer. Others have pointed out that the ships are actually larger than Spain and Italy’s short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft carriers.
While the Dokdos are not quite as big as the Izumos, they might also be considered an aircraft carrier in disguise. That’s because a few months back reports emerged that South Korea is thinking of refitting the vessels to be able to carry the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. “I understand that the military top brass have recently discussed whether they can introduce a small number of F-35B fighters and operate them aboard the new ship that has already been deployed and one to be additionally built,” a South Korean military source told Yonhap News Agency in December of last year. Another South Korean source told the same paper that “considerations will continue about whether we can run F-35Bs by redesigning the decks of the Dokdo and the new ship that is being constructed.”
South Korea is already part of the Joint Strike Fighter program, having decided to buy forty F-35A fighters in 2014 for $6.75 billion. However, that is the conventional version of the fighter jets. By contrast, the F-35Bs have the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capability that would be necessary to operate the planes from the Dokdo-class ships. Thus, if South Korea decided to move forward with the plan outlined in the Yonhap report, it would have to purchase F-35Bs, along with reconfiguring the amphibious assault ships to carry fixed-wing aircraft.
Nor is Seoul the only country that is considering this action. In fact, South Korea’s interest in transforming the Dokdos into F-35B carriers only emerged after Japanese media reported that Tokyo was thinking of doing the same with its Izumos. Then, Turkey also expressed interest in adapting its amphibious assault ships to carry F-35Bs. None of these countries have actually purchased the F-35B, although Japanese military officials are getting a close up view of the plane thanks to current joint U.S.-Japanese training exercises.
Compared to the Izumos, the Dokdos would have to undergo significant renovations to be able to carry the F-35Bs—should Seoul purchase them. In fact, Robert Farley has suggested that the Dokdos probably could not be converted to F-35B carriers without losing their amphibious capabilities.
As I’ve mentioned before, it is not clear why these countries are interested in having carrier-type ships—since none of them plan on having blue water navies. In the case of Japan, it could simply be about dispersing their aircraft better to make them less vulnerable to Chinese conventional first strikes. Still, the F-35Bs short take-off capabilities would still be useful in that regard even if operated from land.
It is also possible that prestige is playing a significant role. Japan’s reported interest comes at a time when China’s navy is acquiring aircraft carriers for the first time. Seoul’s interest in an “aircraft carrier in disguise” came only days after Tokyo’s interest was reported. Thus, it is possible we’ll see something of an aircraft carrier domino effect. As Farley has pointed out, this might ultimately include Australia, which could convert its Canberra-class amphibious assault ships. Still, all this is extremely preliminary given that none of these countries have even moved to purchase the F-35B yet.
Giant chopsticks
“Nor is Seoul the only country that is considering this action. In fact, South Korea’s interest in transforming the Dokdos into F-35B carriers only emerged after Japanese media reported that Tokyo was thinking of doing the same with its Izumos.”
Wait till the see the price Tag & yard time required to put a handful of F-35B’s on them. I rether doubt they’ll do it.
Our LHA’s and LHD’s only have 2 landing spots capable of withstanding the heat.
No Swedes either, eh?
~WINNER~
1700 degrees. Pretty hot. In the video a V22 is landing. They have a hot down wash but I could not find how hot.
There is a problem w the V-22 as well but it isn’t just hot exhaust gases. The left engine rotor is not over the deck, but the right rotor is, creating a lift differential on landing. Gets exciting when the deck is pitching, it’s dark, you’re bingo fuel, and you have a full load of Marines on board.
I used to be one of those jarheads in the back. Back when we flew with our jeeps. I never got to drive a jeep into or out of a helo on a ship’s deck though.
Jeeps probably go out the well-deck in an LCAC or an LCM now.
ping
They got rid of our jeeps. Not a very bright decision as you could not fit a Humvee in a helicopter. When we put the jeeps in the helos we would arrive shortly after the first few waves of line companies. With the humvee we would come in low and slow with that big humvee swingin and by the time we arrived the first waves would be long gone. We were heavy guns so this would be a disadvantage in an actual situation.
Yeah, meant to say HumVee. Kind of a waste of tactical lift when you have to sling-load one of those.
Vietnam-era had that cut-down Jeep, too. Mighty-mite? I’ve seen Battle of Hue footage with those shown moving litters.
I like the idea of the South Koreans arming themselves. My dad was a military liaison back in the mid-Fifties, and he said they were tough and no-nonsense back then.
Hahahahaha...I’m ex-Navy and that did make me involuntarily snort in laughter.
Nothing funny about incompetence and dead sailors, but I admire that as a deserved jab with a bit of wit.
Maybe this kind of negative impression will motivate them to straighten things out. I am not hopeful, but even a little hope is better than none.
Thanks for the ping, Chode...much appreciated.
“Hahahahaha...I’m ex-Navy and that did make me involuntarily snort in laughter.”
My younger brother was Navy and I was a Marine. So I spent a bit of time being chauffeured around by folks like you.
Thanks for the ride, the chow, and the Corpsmen.
And the really big guns.
L
i imagine they still are
We put jeeps in amtracs as well. We would arrive right behind the first waves. Once we got the humvee we had to come in on mike boats which put us way behind the first waves and the beaches were all clogged up. I personally thought we should have kept some jeeps but the humvee was the replace all. The gamma goat, the cucv, the jeep.
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