<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US Navy is trying to retire all of its guided-missile cruisers by 2027.</li><li>US cruisers are specialized for air defense and are among the best-armed naval ships in service.</li></ul><p>In April, the US Navy presented an <a href="https://news.usni.org/2022/04/21/navy-plans-for-all-22-ticonderoga-cruisers-to-exit-fleet-in-5-years" target="_top">ambitious plan</a> to decommission all 22 of its Ticonderoga-class cruisers by 2027.</p><p>The move is not surprising. The Navy has tried to rid itself of its cruisers for years, but Congress has consistently rejected its proposals, largely out of concern that decommissioning them would take away a much-needed weapon as China's naval force continues to grow.</p><p>With the retirement of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2005/12/21/navys-last-2-battleships-to-be-decommissioned/bfe01ca7-abbf-4ab1-954a-fa6f0d47696a/" target="_top">the last battleships</a> nearly 20 years ago, cruisers are the largest surface combatants — a category that generally doesn't include aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships — in service.</p><p>Cruisers remain among the best armed and most powerful ships in the few navies that employ them, and decommissioning the Ticonderogas would take the US out of that small and very well-armed club.</p><h2>The Ticonderoga-class</h2><div type="image" title="uss cowpens ticonderoga" height="2329" width="3500" msid="92182095" hostid="261"></div><p>Twenty-seven Ticonderoga-class cruisers were built between 1980 and 1994. They have an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-faces-another-fight-to-get-rid-of-its-cruisers-2021-8" target="_top">extensive</a> service history, with high-profile operations all over the world. The 567-foot ships displace about 10,000 tons, and they are the US Navy's most heavily armed surface combatants.</p><p>Two Mk 41 Vertical Launching Systems, each with 61 cells, can carry up to 122 missiles. Two Mk-141 missile launchers can carry up to eight more missiles. Ticonderogas are also equipped with two Mark 45 5-inch guns, two <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/phalanx-close-in-weapon-system-navy-ships-last-missiles-defense-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phalanx close-in weapon systems</a>, and two triple-tubed Mark 32 torpedo tubes.</p><p>They can be armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Evolved Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, and vertical-launch anti-submarine missiles, as well as anti-satellite and anti-ballistic missiles.</p><div type="image" title="Navy cruiser Vicksburg aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt Strait of Gibraltar" height="1147" width="1530" msid="92182097" hostid="261"></div><p>Their large and diverse arsenal allows Ticonderogas to fill multiple rules, including air-defense, anti-ship anti-submarine warfare, and land-attack strikes. They primarily serve as air-defense escorts in carrier strike groups, as they have the most robust air-defense capability in the surface fleet.</p><p>They were also the first ships to be equipped with the <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39508/how-the-aegis-combat-system-is-evolving-to-dominate-naval-warfare-of-the-future" target="_top">Aegis Combat System</a>, which uses computers and radars to track hostile forces and guide friendly fire toward incoming threats.</p><p>Because of the Ticonderogas' status and armament, their stand-alone deployments are usually meant to convey a message, as with USS Port Royal's <a href="https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2022-05-11/taiwan-strait-us-navy-cruiser-uss-port-royal-china-military-5964347.html" target="_top">transit</a> of the Taiwan Strait in May.</p><h2>The Kirovs and Slavas</h2><div type="image" title="Soviet navy Kirov battlecruiser" height="1139" width="1519" msid="92182099" hostid="261"></div><p>The Russian Navy fields two types of cruisers. The most well-known and feared are the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/soviet-nuclear-powered-cruisers-led-us-to-bring-back-battleships-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kirov-class</a>, four of which were built between 1974 and 1998.</p><p>Classified as "battlecruisers" because of their heavy armament, the Kirovs are 827 feet long and displace about 28,000 tons. Their nuclear propulsion gives them range limited only by the crew's endurance and their supplies.</p><p>Designed to destroy American carrier groups, their primary armament are 20 P-700 supersonic anti-ship missiles, each capable of carrying a 1,600-pound high-explosive warhead or a nuclear one. Kirovs also carry 136 surface-to-air missiles and six close-in weapon systems, as well as one double-barreled 130mm gun, 10 torpedo tubes, and two anti-submarine rocket launchers.</p><p>Only two Kirov-class battlecruisers, Pyotr Velikiy and Admiral Nakhimov, remain in service. Pyotr Velikiy is the flagship of the powerful Northern Fleet, while Admiral Nakhimov has been undergoing modernization since 1999, though Russian officials <u><a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/02/russias-sevmash-shipyard-says-it-will-deliver-admiral-nakhimov-in-2022/" target="_top">say</a></u> it will delivered this year.</p><div type="image" title="Russian missile cruiser Moskva in the Mediterranean Sea" height="4000" width="5333" msid="92182101" hostid="261"></div><p>Nakhimov's upgrades will allow it to fire Kalibr and Onyx cruise missiles and new anti-submarine weapons, and carry Pantsir-M air-defense systems. Russian officials also claim Nakhimov will be armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles in the future.</p><p>In 1976, the Soviets laid down the first of three Slava-class guided-missile cruisers.</p><p>At 611 feet long and displacing about 11,000 tons, the Slavas are armed with 16 P-500 cruise missiles in eight distinctive dual launchers on either side of the ship. Each P-500 can carry a 2,000-pound conventional warhead or a nuclear one. Some Slavas have reportedly been armed with more modern P-1000 anti-ship missiles.</p><p>Slava-class cruisers also carry 96 surface-to-air missiles, a twin-barreled 130mm gun, six close-in weapon systems, two anti-submarine rocket launchers, and 10 torpedo tubes.</p><p>Only two Slava-class cruisers, Marshal Ustinov and Varyag, remain in active service. Marshal Ustinov is assigned to the Northern Fleet and Varyag is the Pacific Fleet flagship. Moskva, the lead ship of the class, was the Black Sea Fleet flagship until <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-ships-head-south-as-flagship-moskva-battles-extensive-fire-2022-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it was sunk by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles</a> in April.</p><h2>The 'destroyers'</h2><div type="image" title="China Type 055 destroyer Nanchang" height="1334" width="2000" msid="92182103" hostid="261"></div><p>Two countries field warships they designate as destroyers but the US and naval experts classify as cruisers because of their size, displacement, and armament.</p><p>China's <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/01/bigger-than-a-u-s-navy-aegis-cruiser-china-is-building-more-type-055s/" target="_top">Type 055</a>, known as the Renhai-class, is the most notable. The <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">International</keyword> Institute for Strategic Studies think tank has <a href="https://twitter.com/iiss_org/status/1232624353549922305?lang=de" target="_top">said</a> it "may be the most capable multi-role surface combatant currently at sea."</p><p>At 590 feet long and displacing over 12,000 tons, Type 055s are armed with 112 VLS cells capable of launching surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine missiles, anti-ship missiles, and land-attack cruise missiles. They also carry a 130mm gun and a close-in weapons system.</p><p>China <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/04/china-test-fires-new-yj-21-hypersonic-missile/" target="_top">tested</a> a hypersonic missile aboard a <keyword id="14185707" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="type-055" source="Orion">Type 055</keyword> earlier this year, and in the future the ships may be <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3101244/will-china-upgrade-its-destroyers-carrier-killer-missiles" target="_top">armed</a> with anti-ship ballistic missiles <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-aircraft-carriers-arent-little-teacups-their-captains-say-2022-4" target="_top">designed to kill carriers</a>.</p><p>Type 055s are equipped with Type-346A active electronically scanned array radars, a more modern and accurate radar than the passive phased-array radar aboard Ticonderoga-class ships.</p><div type="image" title="South Korea destroyer Sejong the Great" height="845" width="1933" msid="92182104" hostid="261"></div><p>Eight Type 055s have been built and launched since 2014. At least five <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3175233/chinas-navy-puts-2-more-advanced-type-055-destroyers-service" target="_top">have been </a><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3175233/chinas-navy-puts-2-more-advanced-type-055-destroyers-service" target="_top">commissioned</a> and two more are believed to be under construction. Their deployment is already seen as a <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3174157/china-gathers-most-powerful-destroyers-us-carrier-group-holds" target="_top">show of strength</a> — they have been spotted near <a href="https://news.usni.org/2022/05/03/chinese-carrier-liaoning-strike-group-steaming-near-japan-says-mod" target="_top">Japan</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-coast-guard-shadowed-chinese-warships-near-alaska-2021-9" target="_top">Alaska</a> — and they may be a central part of China's <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2022/05/chinas-next-generation-nuclear-carrier-floating-into-view/" target="_top">future carrier battlegroups</a>.</p><p>South Korea's <keyword id="14185708" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sejong-the-great-class" source="Orion">Sejong the Great-class</keyword> destroyers are also classified by others as cruisers. Three are in active service, each 544 feet long and displacing over 10,600 tons.</p><p>Each Sejong the Great-class ship has 128 VLS cells and 16 anti-ship missile launchers in four quad mounts. They are Aegis-equipped and provide early warning of incoming ballistic missiles.</p><p>South Korea <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/10/south-korea-new-kdx-iii-batch-ii-destroyer/" target="_top">plan</a><a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/10/south-korea-new-kdx-iii-batch-ii-destroyer/" target="_top">s</a><a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/10/south-korea-new-kdx-iii-batch-ii-destroyer/" target="_top"> to buil</a><a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/10/south-korea-new-kdx-iii-batch-ii-destroyer/" target="_top">d</a> three more Sejong the Great-class ships that will have only 88 VLS cells but will be equipped with SM-6 missiles that Seoul <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/04/south-korea-to-acquire-sm-6-missiles-for-kdx-iii-batch-ii-destroyers/" target="_top">plans to buy</a>, allowing them to intercept ballistic missiles.</p><h2>'Divest to invest'</h2><div type="image" title="Navy guided-missile cruiser Vicksburg" height="1429" width="2000" msid="92182108" hostid="261"></div><p>The US Navy wants to shed the Ticonderogas — including USS Vicksburg, which is in the middle of <a href="https://news.usni.org/2022/04/21/navy-plans-for-all-22-ticonderoga-cruisers-to-exit-fleet-in-5-years" target="_top">a $200 million refit</a> — as part of a broader <a href="https://seapowermagazine.org/navy-fleet-would-shrink-further-under-2023-ship-decommissioning-plan/" target="_top">"divest to invest"</a> strategy to free up resources for <a href="https://news.usni.org/2022/01/12/navy-unveils-next-generation-ddgx-warship-concept-with-hypersonic-missiles-lasers" target="_top">newer</a> and more advanced vessels.</p><p>While lawmakers and others worry that doing so will leave Navy shorthanded against China, Navy officials argue the cruisers, all of which are over 30 years old, are approaching the ends of their service lives, have outdated electronics, and will cost too much to maintain or refit. Some are even <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2022/03/09/navy-offers-a-new-argument-for-decommissioning-cruisers-theyre-not-safe/" target="_top">unsafe to operate</a>, Navy officials say.</p><p>"They're eating us alive in terms of our ability to get maintenance back on track," Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, said in March. "We are paying tens of millions of dollars beyond what we expected to because of growth work and new work on ships that are beyond their service life."</p><p>The Navy proposed retiring five cruisers in 2023. In budget documents released this month, the House Armed Services Committee would only allow four retirements and block that of USS Vicksburg, which is one of the youngest of the five on the chopping block, a committee aide told reporters.</p><p>The 2023 budget is yet to be finalized, but the documents released this month also direct the Navy to submit a report on the costs of modernizing and extending the service lives of its other cruisers, suggesting <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-faces-another-fight-to-get-rid-of-its-cruisers-2021-8" target="_top">the </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-faces-another-fight-to-get-rid-of-its-cruisers-2021-8" target="_top">divestment</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-faces-another-fight-to-get-rid-of-its-cruisers-2021-8" target="_top"> battle</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-faces-another-fight-to-get-rid-of-its-cruisers-2021-8" target="_top"> will only continue</a>.</p>

The US Navy's plan to ditch its cruisers will leave it out of a small and well-armed club

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11944254" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="south-korea" source="Orion">South Korea</keyword>'s new president is shifting the country's security focus to threats from <keyword id="11935793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="north-korea" source="Orion">North Korea</keyword>.</li></ul><p>It has been an eventful year for aircraft carriers in the Indo-Pacific region.</p><p>China recently launched <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-navy-growth-and-search-for-overseas-bases-worries-us-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its newest, most advanced flattop</a>, while India's first domestically built carrier is about <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/boost-to-sea-power-indigenous-aircraft-carrier-ins-vikrant-set-for-final-sea-trials-409549" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to enter service</a>. Japan is also <a href="https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2022/april/11594-navy-of-japan-begins-conversion-of-js-kaga-to-second-aircraft-carrier.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">converting</a> its second Izumo-class vessel <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marine-corps-f35bs-landed-on-japans-converted-aircraft-carrier-izumo-2021-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">into a full-fledged carrier</a>, which will add a second flattop to its fleet.</p><p>South Korea's navy has expertise and resources on par with those navies, but Seoul's ambitions to field its own <keyword id="11898296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carrier" source="Orion">aircraft carrier</keyword> may soon be scrapped.</p><p>After <a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/11/113_318964.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">years of debate</a> about acquiring a carrier, detailed plans for a South Korean light carrier were <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2021/06/11/south-korean-shipbuilders-unveil-competing-carrier-designs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> last year. But President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, looks set to cancel the program, known as <keyword id="14520849" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cvx" source="Orion">CVX</keyword>, in order to invest in weapons better suited to counter the threat posed by North Korea.</p><h2>The CVX carrier</h2><div type="image" title="South Korea Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado" height="1335" width="2000" msid="93039594" hostid="261" sizebytes="268074"></div><p>South Korea's navy has been working toward achieving blue-water status since the early 2000s. Over the past two decades, it has transformed into a first-rate navy, acquiring advanced vessels like the <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/sejongthegreatclassd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sejong the Great-class</a> destroyers, <a href="https://www.seaforces.org/marint/Republic-Korea-Navy/Submarine/Son-Won-il-class.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Son Won-il-class</a> submarines, and <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/dodko-class/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dokdo-class</a> amphibious assault ships.</p><p>The CVX program, championed by Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae-in, was to be the latest step in that transformation. The program calls for the construction of a single light carrier that displaces at least 30,000 tons, carries 20 F-35B fighters, and could be commissioned by 2033.</p><p>Two designs have been proposed by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, both of which have contracts with companies that have built carriers for European navies.</p><div type="image" title="Navy amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard Dokdo" height="1360" width="2000" msid="93039595" hostid="261" sizebytes="229184"></div><p>Hyundai Heavy Industries' <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/madex-2021/2021/06/madex-2021-hhi-unveils-new-cvx-aircraft-carrier-design/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">design</a> would be 885 feet long and displace 30,000 to 35,000 tons. It would carry 16 F-35Bs in its hangar and eight more on its deck, in addition to helicopters. The design includes two command islands, deck space for drone aircraft, a well deck for unmanned vessels, and 16 <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/madex-2021/2021/06/hanwha-defense-details-kvls-ii-development-at-madex-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vertical-launch missile cells</a>.</p><p>Hyundai's carrier would have a ski-jump ramp, though building it with an angled flight deck and a catapult system may be possible.</p><p>Daewoo Shipbuilding's <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/madex-2021/2021/06/madex-2021-dsme-unveils-its-cvx-light-aircraft-carrier-design/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">design</a> would be 862 feet long and displace about 45,000 tons. It would carry 12 F-35Bs on its deck and 16 more in its hangar, as well as several helicopters. Daewoo's version would also have two command islands and a straight deck similar to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marine-commandant-corps-more-unpredictable-with-f35-lightning-carrier-2020-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the US's America-class and Wasp-class ships</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marine-corps-f35bs-landed-on-japans-converted-aircraft-carrier-izumo-2021-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Japan's Izumo-class ships</a>.</p><h2>Need vs. cost</h2><div type="image" title="South Korea Yoon Suk-yeol Paul LaCamera Kim Seung-kyum" height="1435" width="2000" msid="93039596" hostid="261" sizebytes="256940"></div><p>CVX proponents <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/why-south-koreas-aircraft-carrier-makes-sense/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argue</a> that the carrier gives South Korea a mobile air strip to use if North Korea attacks its airfields and the ability to launch attacks on North Korea from different avenues of approach. They also argue it would be valuable in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/explainer-competing-claims-make-northeast-asian-sea-a-flashpoint-2019-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other disputes</a> and if Seoul needed to protect its interests abroad, such as in the sea lanes vital to its trade and energy supplies.</p><p>CVX's detractors mainly <a href="https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/south-korea-pushes-ahead-with-aircraft-carrier-only-its-admirals-want/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argue</a> that its costs outweigh its potential uses, especially considering the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-north-koreas-and-south-koreas-navies-compare-2021-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comparative weakness of North Korea's navy</a>. Building the CVX is expected to cost $2 billion, with another $45 million or so needed each year to maintain it.</p><p>That price doesn't include the F-35Bs, the helicopters, and the potential unmanned vehicles, which could increase to overall cost to as much as $5 billion, or almost 11% of South Korea's <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/south-korea-finalises-usd4632-billion-defence-budget-for-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">entire defense budget for 2022</a>.</p><p>"That's a huge whack out of a very small military budget," Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation think tank, told Insider. "What President Yoon is going to have to take a look at is what's his opportunity costs for building such a carrier? What other goods is he losing because he goes in that direction and builds it?"</p><p>The cost estimate for the CVX program also only accounts for one carrier. "Having one carrier does not a carrier force make," Bennett said, noting that carriers need to spend months at a time in port for training and maintenance.</p><p>If Yoon "really wants to have a viable carrier force of even one carrier at sea continuously, he's got to have two to three carriers," Bennett added.</p><h2>Competing priorities</h2><div type="image" title="South Korea military soldiers troops" height="1333" width="2000" msid="93039597" hostid="261" sizebytes="185460"></div><p>Meanwhile, the rest of South Korea's military is also pushing for other high-cost projects.</p><p>South Korea's army has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/south-koreas-military-modernization-bigger-problem-than-north-korea-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive modernization needs</a>, while its navy also wants to pursue other major programs, including acquisition of more <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-south-koreas-new-submarine-launched-missile-sets-it-apart-2021-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dosan Ahn Changho-class</a> submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles, and three more modernized Sejong the Great-class destroyers. There is also talk of developing a <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2022/06/south-korea-has-nuclear-subs-firmly-in-its-sights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nuclear-powered submarine</a>.</p><p>The "Kill Chain" and "Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation" <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2021/02/south-korea-conventional-capabilities-and-the-future-of-the-korean-peninsula/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategies</a> require more <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-south-korea-test-missiles-amid-north-korean-launches-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investment in ballistic missiles</a> and aircraft, with South Korea's air force favoring the F-35A and the <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2022/07/19/KF-21-Boramae-test-flight-fighter-jet/5711658231872/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KF-21</a>.</p><p>The Korean Aerial Missile Defense strategy also requires more sophisticated missile interceptors. Seoul wants to build up its own <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2021/10/22/south-korea-seeks-to-develop-missile-defense-against-n-koreas-artillery-barrage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">layered air-defense</a> and <a href="https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220223008600325" target="_blank" rel="noopener">missile-defense</a> systems, and during his campaign, Yoon <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/South-Korea-election/Yoon-s-pledge-to-boost-THAAD-missile-system-risks-China-reprisal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> that he wanted to deploy more US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense batteries.</p><div type="image" title="South Korea F-35" height="933" width="1400" msid="93039598" hostid="261" sizebytes="82046"></div><p>The case for those weapons seems stronger than that of CVX, as they are better suited to counter the most likely North Korean threats than an aircraft carrier, aligning them with Yoon's efforts to focus more attention and resources on the North.</p><p>Officials in Yoon's administration have described a need to reevaluate defense priorities, which has been interpreted as meaning the CVX would be canceled. The <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/07/south-koreas-new-f-35a-purchase-may-kill-cvx-program/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=south-koreas-new-f-35a-purchase-may-kill-cvx-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent approval</a> of preliminary plans to acquire 20 more F-35As is seen as a more concrete move away from the carrier.</p><p>Even without CVX, South Korea's navy remains a potent force and will continue to evolve.</p><p>"They've gotten a lot of investment in their upper-end destroyers, their submarines have been built, and they now have SLBMs," Bennett said. "The Navy hasn't gotten the blue-water navy capability they want yet, but they are moving in that direction."</p>

South Korea's new hardline on North Korea may mean the end of its plans to build its first aircraft carrier

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="5565" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="South-Korea">South Korea</keyword>'s navy has rapidly grown and modernized into a first-rate force.</li><li><keyword id="13473" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="North-Korea">North Korea</keyword>'s navy is large, but its ships are out-gunned and mostly antiquated.</li><li>South Korea's navy would have an edge in a conflict, but North Korea's navy, especially its subs, would still pose a threat.</li></ul><p>Last month, two of South Korea's largest shipbuilders <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2021/06/11/south-korean-shipbuilders-unveil-competing-carrier-designs/" target="_top">unveiled</a> designs and concept models for the country's future aircraft carrier, known as CVX.</p><p>Both designs feature two islands - similar to the UK's Queen Elizabeth-class carriers - and will carry 24 to 28 F-35B stealth fighters. South Korea hopes to have its first CVX in service by 2033.</p><p>Though it will be considerably smaller than US aircraft carriers, the CVX will be an important step toward South Korea's goal of building a blue-water navy able to project power around the world.</p><p>The new carrier is also the latest example of how the South Korean military is preparing for a potential conflict with its nuclear-armed northern neighbor.</p><h2>South Korea's first-rate navy</h2><div type="image" title="South Korean navy frigate firing weapons" height="1342" width="2000" msid="84441464" hostid="261"></div><p>The growth and modernization of the Republic of Korea Navy, or ROKN, is one of the great naval success stories.</p><p>What started 70 years ago as a small coastal force of patrol boats has become a large, first-rate navy that is mostly domestically designed and built and already has some ability to operate on the high seas.</p><p>It includes some 100 surface warships, 10 amphibious ships, 18 submarines, and 60 aircraft. Many of its surface vessels have vertical launch systems and advanced electronic suites that put them on par with the best warships in the world.</p><p>South Korea's three <a href="https://www.military-today.com/navy/sejong_the_great_class.htm" target="_top">Sejong the Great-class</a> destroyers are each armed with 128 missiles, more than US Arleigh Burke-class and Japanese Atago-class destroyers, which each have 96 missiles. Its six <a href="https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.php?ship_id=ROKS-Chungmugong-Yi-Sun-Sin-DDH975" target="_top">Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class</a> destroyers feature stealth technology and have deployed as far as the Arabian Sea.</p><div type="image" title="South Korean navy submarine Son Won-il" height="2988" width="2000" msid="84441465" hostid="261"></div><p>Its two <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/dodko-class/" target="_top">Dokdo-class amphibious assault ships</a> can carry over 700 Marines, 13 armored vehicles, and about a dozen helicopters. The second Dokdo-class vessel was <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/06/south-korea-commissions-second-dokdo-class-amphibious-ship-roks-marado-lph-6112/" target="_top">commissioned</a> in June.</p><p>In addition to operating in its home waters, South Korea's navy participates in <a href="https://navalpost.com/south-korean-navy-sends-2-destroyers-to-u-s-led-rimpac-exercise/" target="_top">exercises</a> around the world and even has a <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200121000803" target="_top">dedicated anti-piracy unit</a>, known as the Cheonghae Unit, in the Indian Ocean that has <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/21/south.korea.pirate.rescue/" target="_top">rescued</a> Korean crew members from hijacked vessels.</p><p>South Korea is also a shipbuilding <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210610000685" target="_top">powerhouse</a>, which will support its continued naval modernization.</p><p>Its navy already has plans to further <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/madex-2021/2021/06/madex-2021-update-on-rok-navys-kdx-ii-performance-improvement-project/" target="_top">upgrade</a> its destroyers, is building a <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/madex-2021/2021/06/madex-2021-hanwha-systems-unveils-new-combat-system-for-ffx-batch-iii/" target="_top">new class of frigates</a>, and has launched the first two boats of the new <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/madex-2021/2021/06/south-koreas-kss-iii-batch-2-submarine-to-feature-both-aip-and-li-ion-batteries/" target="_top">Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine</a>, which <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/07/south-korea-conducts-submarine-launched-ballistic-missile-test/" target="_top">may soon get</a> domestically made submarine-launched ballistic missiles.</p><h2>North Korea's old, under-gunned fleet</h2><div type="image" title="A North Korean navy patrol boat" height="1275" width="2000" msid="84441468" hostid="261"></div><p>According to South Korea's <a href="https://www.mnd.go.kr/user/mnd/upload/pblictn/PBLICTNEBOOK_202102021153057640.pdf" target="_top">Ministry of Defense</a>, North Korea's navy, officially known as the Korean People's Navy, or KPN, has 430 surface combatants (mostly patrol vessels), 70 submarines, and 250 amphibious vessels.</p><p>Despite its size, North Korea's fleet is under-gunned and largely antiquated.</p><p>"What isn't totally antiquated is not in large numbers and is still not all that modern or capable," Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation think tank, told Insider.</p><p>"This is not a navy which is going to come crashing out of their bases and do a major stand against the ROKN and US navies, unless they anticipate losing most of that capability very quickly," he added.</p><p>In the past, North Korea's navy was more of a match for South Korea's navy, as demonstrated by a number of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-korea-north-clashes/factbox-the-battles-of-the-korean-west-sea-idUSTRE6AS1AL20101129" target="_top">deadly naval provocations</a> around the <keyword id="421916" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Korean-peninsula">Korean Peninsula</keyword>.</p><p>But South Korea's continued modernization has made it a much more powerful force. Those advances, and the <keyword id="1615987" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="North-Korean-navy">North Korean navy</keyword>'s relative decline, mean Seoul would likely win a conventional fight.</p><div type="image" title="North Korean navy Najin-class corvette" height="1381" width="2000" msid="84441471" hostid="261"></div><p>"The ROKN really one-on-one is going to be just dominant, and the KPN can't play the game that way," Bennett said. "They've got to look for asymmetric approaches to using [their ships] effectively."</p><p>North Korea has tried to build more advanced ships, like <a href="https://associationofgeostrategicanalysis.com/north-koreas-new-nongo-class-surface-effect-ship/" target="_top">missile-laden surface effect vessels</a> with possible stealth features, but the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-north-korea-would-use-submarine-fleet-in-a-war-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">real threat comes from its submarines</a>.</p><p>"Even though the KPN is antiquated in many ways, some of the submarines that they've made to operate in the shallow waters are potentially fairly potent," Bennett said.</p><p>In 2010, a North Korean submarine <a href="http://nautilus.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Cheonan.pdf" target="_top">sank</a> a South Korean corvette in the Yellow Sea just south of the countries' <a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/the-origins-the-northern-limit-line-dispute" target="_top">de facto maritime boundary</a>, killing 46 sailors. The KPN has used the same type of submarines to <a href="https://warisboring.com/a-short-history-of-north-koreas-long-mini-submarine-spy-campaign/" target="_top">insert</a><a href="https://warisboring.com/a-short-history-of-north-koreas-long-mini-submarine-spy-campaign/" target="_top"> agents</a> into South Korea.</p><p>The KPN is also acquiring subs capable of firing nuclear-armed ballistic missiles. The KPN operates <a href="http://www.hisutton.com/Analysis%20-%20Sinpo%20Class%20Ballistic%20Missile%20Sub.html" target="_top">at least one submarine</a> supposedly capable of firing one or two such missiles, and <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29122/north-koreas-new-ballistic-missile-submarine-is-a-refurbished-antique" target="_top">another </a><a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29122/north-koreas-new-ballistic-missile-submarine-is-a-refurbished-antique" target="_top">class</a> that's under construction will potentially be able to fire three.</p><h2>A maritime front</h2><div type="image" title="South Korea raises patrol boat sunk during clash with North Korea" height="1216" width="1621" msid="84441476" hostid="261"></div><p>Both countries' navies would play an important role should war break out.</p><p>For the KPN, the first goal will be to try and insert as many agents and commandos into South Korea as possible before any fighting starts. North Korea's navy as a whole will try to take on South Korea's fleet wherever and, more importantly, however possible.</p><p>Because of South Korea's naval superiority, the KPN will have to rely on either stealth or numbers. Its submarines may be able to operate effectively in the Yellow Sea, where shallow waters make finding submarines hard, as the 2010 attack demonstrated. (Shallow waters also limit what operations subs can do.)</p><p>East of the peninsula, the Sea of Japan is deeper and North Korea's options are limited. Its ships will likely only have success if they operate in groups and swarm isolated vessels.</p><p>North Korean subs will also likely attempt to cut off South Korea's imports.</p><div type="image" title="north korea submarine" height="2334" width="3500" msid="84441480" hostid="261"></div><p>South Korea <a href="https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/KOR" target="_top">relies</a> almost entirely on imported fuel, and while some reinforcements can be transported by air, large numbers of troops and heavy equipment have to come by sea.</p><p>"North Korea has got to anticipate sending its navy either into shallow waters where it's difficult to detect … or they've got to send them out in groups and see how well the groups potentially survive," Bennett said.</p><p>South Korea's navy, meanwhile, will focus on protecting its sea lanes, destroying North Korean warships from afar, defending its <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26815124" target="_top">northwest islands</a> from a possible invasion, and supporting ground operations.</p><p>An aircraft carrier will be vital for that last role.</p><p>North Korea's nuclear arsenal - <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA1015-1.html#download" target="_top">believed</a> to be between 67 and 116 warheads - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/south-koreas-military-modernization-bigger-problem-than-north-korea-2021-2" target="_top">poses a major threat</a> to South Korean airfields, so a mobile aircraft carrier could make a massive difference.</p><p>A carrier can only operate a limited number of planes and only for so long, but a protracted conflict would likely draw in South Korean allies, namely the US and UK, with navies that can strike deep inside North Korea.</p><p>Those partners are helping South Korea develop its carrier capabilities. South Korean sailors and naval airmen have already <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/1123717/us-south-korean-navies-to-hold-partnership-exercises/" target="_top">operated alongside</a> US carriers, and <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/10/uk-naval-industry-eyes-technology-transfer-for-south-koreas-lpx-ii-project/#prettyPhoto" target="_top">British</a> and <a href="https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/june/10285-italy-and-south-korea-to-work-together-for-cvx-future-aircraft-carrier-for-south-korean-navy.html" target="_top">Italian</a> firms are assisting South Korea with the CVX.</p>

How a war between North and South Korea could quickly become a naval showdown

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a428aa3b0bcd550328b6605-2000/sejong the great yang manchun uss wayne e meyer uss michael murphy uss stethem uss lake champlain uss carl vinson.jpg" alt="Sejong the Great Yang Manchun USS Wayne E. Meyer USS Michael Murphy USS Stethem USS Lake Champlain USS Carl Vinson" data-mce-source="U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano/Handout via REUTERS" data-mce-caption="South Korean naval destroyers Sejong the Great and Yang Manchun, the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer, USS Michael Murphy and USS Stethem, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson transit the western Pacific Ocean May 3, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano/Handout via REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">South Korean naval destroyers Sejong the Great and Yang Manchun, the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer, USS Michael Murphy and USS Stethem, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson transit the western Pacific Ocean May 3, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In all of its branches, the US military had an incredibly active 2017.</p><p>Luckily, photographers were often on hand to capture the training, combat, and downtime of the men and women in uniform.</p><p>We've broken out the best photos of each of the military's five branches - <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-army-most-incredible-photos-2017-12">Army</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-most-incredible-photos-2017-12">Navy</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-most-incredible-photos-2017-2017-12">Air Force</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-marines-most-incredible-photos-2017-12">Marines</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-coast-guard-captivating-photos-2017-12">Coast Guard</a>. Now, we want to highlight the best of the best, 50 images that show the wide range of what military life entails.</p><p>Check the amazing photos out below:</p> 

The 50 most incredible photos of the US military in 2017

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57b1dc5bce38f298008b6b9b-1379/roks_sejong_the_great_(ddg_991).jpg" alt="ROK NAVY aegis Sejong the Great" data-mce-source="US Navy" data-mce-caption="ROKS Sejong the Great, their Aegis-equipped ship, during the 2008 Busan International Fleet Review." data-link="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great-class_destroyer#/media/File:ROKS_Sejong_the_Great_(DDG_991).jpg"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great-class_destroyer#/media/File:ROKS_Sejong_the_Great_(DDG_991).jpg">US Navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">ROKS Sejong the Great, their Aegis-equipped ship, during the 2008 Busan International Fleet Review.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>South Korea's Yonhap news agency <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/search1/2603000000.html?cid=AEN20160802011951315" target="_blank">recently reported</a> that the country may seek to buy Raytheon SM-3 ballistic <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> missiles from the US as tensions rise with North Korea and in the broader Pacific region. </p><p>The missiles, if acquired, would replace the SM-2 missiles currently fielded by South Korea's Aegis destroyers and improve their range from about 100 miles to more than 300 miles, significantly extending their layers of missile defense.</p><p>The move to acquire better missile defenses comes after North Korea launched two "No Dong"&#xa0;intermediate-range ballistic missiles, one of which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-ballistic-missiles-test-japan-2016-8" target="_blank">landed near the Sea of Japan</a>.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/4ef4af4f6bb3f70771000001-400/rtn_rms_sm3_pic02.jpg" alt="SM-3 Missile" data-mce-source="Raytheon" data-link="http://www.raytheon.com/newsroom/rtnwcm/groups/public/documents/image/rtn_rms_sm3_pic02.jpg"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.raytheon.com/newsroom/rtnwcm/groups/public/documents/image/rtn_rms_sm3_pic02.jpg">Raytheon</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Raytheon SM-3 launches from the vertical launcher on the front deck of a ship.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>The South Korean Navy plans to build three more&#xa0;Sejong the Great-class guided missile destroyers that use the same radar and launch system as the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class BMD guided missile destroyers, the <a href="https://news.usni.org/2016/08/15/report-south-korea-wants-bmd-capability-guided-missile-destroyers" target="_blank">US Naval Institute reports</a>. As the current ships cannot accommodate the SM-3 missiles, the newer ships may be modified for their use.<p>The SM-3 missiles would leverage the South Korean Navy's powerful radar to accurately and reliably destroy incoming ballistic missiles while they're still in space, and safely distant from targets on the surface.</p><p>The Naval Institute also notes that the news of South Korea's SM-3 deliberation was met with immediate and harsh rebuke from a <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/999109.shtml" target="_blank">Chinese state-run news agency</a>:&#xa0;"It is unmistakably a strategic misjudgment for Seoul to violate the core interests of its two strong neighbors, at the cost of its own security, and only in the interests of American hegemony."</p><p>The State Department would not confirm the possible foreign military sale, but a single SM-3 missile costs at least $9 million, according to the <a href="http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Weapons.pdf#page=47" target="_blank">US&#xa0;Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request</a>.</p><h2>Watch the SM-3 missile intercept tests in the video below:</h2><p><div><iframe width="840" height="473" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vDuDxwnip6w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-email-internet-2016-6">Here's how North Korea's weird internet works</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9zam55djpHCZMiN_mtiywA_CAGlgTcqi" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '9zam55djpHCZMiN_mtiywA_CAGlgTcqi',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

South Korea wants to outfit its destroyers with new US missile defenses amid tensions with North Korea

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/590b5578fcd8ebe3028b5096-1803/uss%20carl%20vinson%20north%20korea.jpg" alt="uss carl vinson north korea" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/video/522449/carrier-strike-group-1-operates-alongside-republic-korea-navy">US Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matt Brown</a></span></p><p class="caption">F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornets from the USS Carl Vinson's Carrier Air Wing fly over the carrier strike group flanked by two South Korean destroyers on May, 3, 2017.</p><p>Peak tensions between the US, North Korea, and its neighbors have brought on a weighty response from the US and South Korean navies.</p><p>Despite <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-uss-carl-vinson-is-still-nowhere-near-north-korea-2017-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">initial confusion about when the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier would show up</a> off the coast of the Korean peninsula, the carrier strike group has finally arrived in all its glory.</p><p>Joined by the Republic of Korea's very capable Sejong the Great and Yang Manchun destroyers, the USS Wayne E. Meyer, USS Michael Murphy, USS Stetham destroyers, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain flank the Vinson as F-18 Super Hornets fly overhead in a massive show of force.</p><p>Together, the South Korean and US ships represent some of the most potent missile defenses ever put to sea.</p><iframe src="https://www.dvidshub.net/video/embed/522449" width="840" height="473" frameborder="0"></iframe>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/watch-king-of-jordan-participate-in-military-exercise-abdullah-ii-isis-training-syria-coalition-iraq-terror-2017-4">Watch the King of Jordan participate in a military exercise with his armed forces</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video                    

The US and South Korean navies just put on a massive show of force amid North Korean nuclear tensions

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5784fc874321f1f5018b7777-1280/screen shot 2016-07-12 at 10.19.01 am.png" alt="Yinchuan China missile destroyer" data-mce-source="Screenshot CCTV News/YouTube" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i589SrsAXAk" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i589SrsAXAk">Screenshot CCTV News/YouTube</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-largest-naval-exercise-2016-6">largest naval exercise</a> in the world is currently underway in the Pacific, and to show the world it means business, China officially commissioned its fourth vessel of a new model of guided missile destroyers on Tuesday.</p><p>Equipped with advanced weapons that are able to engage other ships and submarines, the independently developed Yinchuan will be China's most advanced guided missile destroyer in service. And the ship will be able to engage in all manner of operations, including aerial <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword>, anti-sea operations, and anti-submarine missions. </p><p>At more than <a href="http://english.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/2016-07/12/content_7150237.htm" target="_blank">150 meters long nearly 20 meters wide</a>, the load displacement of the Yinchuan is estimated to be 7,000 tons.</p><p>Although the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i589SrsAXAk" target="_blank">unveiling</a> was met with fanfare and a parade, Chinese military expert Cao Weidong <a href="http://www.china.org.cn/china/2016-07/05/content_38812310.htm">told</a> China Center Television that the Yinchuan was inferior to the<span> US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in terms of size and munitions capabilities.</span></p><p>However, other unnamed experts, according to <a href="http://www.china.org.cn/china/2016-07/05/content_38812310.htm">China.org</a>, have speculated that the Yinchuan would outperform the neighboring Japanese Atago-class destroyers, the South Korean Sejong the Great-class destroyers, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.</p><p>The Yinchuan is the fourth ship in its class to be unveiled by China to date.</p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rimpac-worlds-largest-maritime-exercise-us-china-military-training-navy-2016-7">The US and 25 other nations are working together in the world's largest maritime exercise</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NieGJsNDE6OaY1awiEBS2CPNc75RdYsM" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'NieGJsNDE6OaY1awiEBS2CPNc75RdYsM',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

China has commissioned their newest guided missile destroyer

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/512deb3569bedd7c6f000018-521-390/korean-king-sejong.jpeg?maxX=400" border="0" alt="korean king sejong" width="400" /></div><p class="source">Park Ji-Hwan/AFP</p></div>A hat which belonged to South <keyword id="43918" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Korea">Korea</keyword>'s most revered monarch King Sejong has been recovered more than 500 years after it was looted by Japanese invaders, a senior scholar said Wednesday.</p>
<p>Apart from its intrinsic value as an historical relic, the discovery has thrilled scholars after documents were found stitched inside the hat carrying explanations of King Sejong's greatest legacy -- the Hangeul alphabet.</p>
<p>The monarch known as Sejong the Great ruled from 1418-1450. His reign had a profound impact on Korean history with the introduction of the Hangeul phonetic alphabet that replaced classical Chinese characters.</p>
<p>Hangeul vastly increased literacy -- previously restricted to the top scholarly class -- and remains the official script of both South and North Korea.</p>
<p>The king's statue occupies an honoured place in the centre of Seoul and numerous buildings and institutions are named after him. Hangeul Day commemorating the alphabet's creation is a public holiday.</p>
<p>Lee Sang-Gyu, a professor of Korean language and literature at Kyungpook National University, told journalists that the Ikseongwan (cicada-wing hat) was purchased in Japan last year by a South Korean collector.</p>
<p>"This hat will help shed light on details on the creation of Hangeul and ancient royal costumes," Lee said.</p>
<p>The documents are believed to be at least two years older than the hitherto oldest documents explaining the principles behind the creation of the Korean alphabet, he said.</p>
<p>The hat is believed to be one of many royal relics looted during the Japanese invasions of Korea in the 16th century, Lee said.</p>
<p>The outside is composed of pieces of brown and dark cloth embroidered in gold, and the inside of fine red cloth. The documents were found hidden in between the two.</p>
<p>The unidentified local collector has decided to donate the relics to the state, Lee said.</p>
<div class="nc_footer">
<p>Copyright (2013) <keyword id="68053" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="AFP">AFP</keyword>. All rights reserved.</p>
</div>
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Ancient King's Hat Holds Clues To Korean Alphabet

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57db03ba077dccf2018b62cd-1250/f=35.jpg" alt="F-35b uss wasp" data-mce-source="US Navy Photo" data-mce-caption="An F-35B Lightning II takes off from the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp on May 25, 2015." /><p class="source"><span>US Navy Photo</span></p><p class="caption">An F-35B Lightning II takes off from the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp on May 25, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The role of the F-35 in the future of air combat just got a lot clearer, and it's going to be a star.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-aegis-integration-2016-9" target="_blank">F-35's integration with Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense platforms</a>, recently proven in a test at White Sands Missile Range, shows that the F-35 can destroy airborne enemies without firing a shot of it's own by leveraging the US Navy's Naval Integrated Fire Control Counterair network (NIFC-CA).</p><p>Basically, the NIFC-CA uses a giant network of sensors to create targeting data that can be accessed by several naval platforms, like destroyers and other planes.</p><p>But the NIFC-CA is old. Ships first deployed with this capability in March 2015.</p><p>In the past, the Navy's <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjrudWVm5LPAhUDmh4KHWqSC1cQFggjMAE&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fus-aircraft-carrier-wing-every-plane-helicopter-2016-5&amp;usg=AFQjCNH_viAl4oY1lBRredkA9svRTFcxxQ&amp;bvm=bv.133053837,d.dmo" target="_blank">E-2 Hawkeye</a> played the "quarterback" role in this system as an "elevated sensor" that could see airborne threats at altitude, in orbit, or flying low like a cruise missile.</p><p>However the Hawkeye is an unarmed propeller-driven plane that only launches from aircraft carriers.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57add3bdce38f2d6038b6624-2048/7215035726_da4ee223c7_k.jpg" alt="e2c" data-mce-source="US Navy Photo" data-mce-caption="An E-2C Hawkeye from the Bluetails of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121 lands aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)." data-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/7215035726/in/photolist-F8BTFA-c19Ryw-cE1vYQ-cDq2KC-bZCwbh-c19Rvw-c2UzZJ-crrDCE-bEcfTC-cWCRLY-bUwR5Q-bZCw79-cZCrDq-bZyWBG-cWCRQu-c2UA3o-c2UA5m-bZyWKG-cuxL1u-99Do2k-aefacL-aefpN9" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/7215035726/in/photolist-F8BTFA-c19Ryw-cE1vYQ-cDq2KC-bZCwbh-c19Rvw-c2UzZJ-crrDCE-bEcfTC-cWCRLY-bUwR5Q-bZCw79-cZCrDq-bZyWBG-cWCRQu-c2UA3o-c2UA5m-bZyWKG-cuxL1u-99Do2k-aefacL-aefpN9">US Navy Photo</a></span></p><p class="caption">An E-2C Hawkeye from the Bluetails of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121 lands aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69).</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Now, the F-35 can do everything the Hawkeye did, and much, much more. For one, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marines-f-35-air-to-air-and-air-to-ground-2016-9" target="_blank">F-35 is armed and can take out targets on its own</a>. Secondly it is a stealthy, fast jet fighter that can <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/f-22-f-35-in-a-war-against-china-2016-7" target="_blank">slip in and out of enemy defenses unnoticed</a>.</p><p>Third, it has the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL), a system originally devised to communicate between F-35s that has now been expanded to participate in the NIFC-CA.</p><p>MADL provides significant advantages over traditional systems of transmission, namely that it's very difficult to jam. Adversaries have never seen anything like the MADL, and if they ever do figure out how to disrupt it, it will certainly take some time. </p><p>When the F-35 program reaches its maturation point about a dozen US allies will be flying the Joint Strike Fighter. They will all have the ability to contribute targeting data to their own fleets as well as that of allied nations. So an Australian F-35 could transmit data to a nearby South Korean Aegis-equipped destroyer and take out a distant target, no problem.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57b1dc5bce38f298008b6b9b-1379/roks_sejong_the_great_(ddg_991).jpg" alt="ROK NAVY aegis Sejong the Great" data-mce-source="US Navy" data-mce-caption="ROKS Sejong the Great, their Aegis-equipped ship, during the 2008 Busan International Fleet Review." data-link="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great-class_destroyer#/media/File:ROKS_Sejong_the_Great_(DDG_991).jpg" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great-class_destroyer#/media/File:ROKS_Sejong_the_Great_(DDG_991).jpg">US Navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">The South Korean Navy's Sejong the Great, their Aegis-equipped ship, during the 2008 Busan <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">International</keyword> Fleet Review.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The applications and versatility of the F-35's MADL has surprised even those close to the program.</p><p>"Originally we didn't think F-35s would use through datalinks directly to ships… This gives them the ability to talk directly to the ship with a very hard to detect very hard to jam MADL link," retired Navy officer <a href="https://news.usni.org/2016/09/13/video-successful-f-35-sm-6-live-fire-test-points-expansion-networked-naval-warfare" target="_blank">Bran Clark told USNI News</a>.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-us-air-force-too-stealthy-2016-8">The F-35 has hit another snag - this time because it's too stealthy </a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="w2dWUzNTE6QKjfovORmLgj4-57yajqOK" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'w2dWUzNTE6QKjfovORmLgj4-57yajqOK',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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