The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) has just received the first of its new rocket-armed Golden Eagle B-class fast patrol craft.
The as-yet-formally-unnamed warship is designated by the ROKN as a patrol killer medium rocket vessel (PKMR) and belongs to the Geomdoksuri class, which literally translates as “Black Eagle” but refers to the bird we know as a Golden Eagle.
It has two variants, A and B: the A variant, also known as the Yoon Youngha class, is the larger of the two. It displaces 570 tons and is equipped with Haeseong anti-ship cruise missiles and 76mm/40mm guns. Instead of cruise missiles, the 230-ton B Batch-II variant carries a Biryong 130mm guided rocket launcher.
The new B Batch-II vessel, which was launched and underwent sea trials last year, was handed over to the ROKN at HJSC’s Busan Yeongdo shipyard on Friday in a ceremony organised by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
The new 44-metre PKMR ships are capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and will replace the ageing Chamsuri-class PKM patrol boats. As per a DAPA statement, the reworked PKMR vessels are easier to use and feature upgraded combat systems.
It stated: “The control and firing functions of the 130mm guided rocket and the 12.7mm remote firing control system have been integrated with the combat system, and electronic warfare response capabilities have also been improved by strengthening anti-jamming capabilities.”
The first of the Batch II vessels in the Golden Eagle-B class, it will now undergo the ROKN’s operational readiness process before being deployed to defend territorial waters close to the Northern Limit Line.
Head of DAPS’s Ship Project Division Choi Sang-deok described the new warship as “a vessel equipped with overwhelming… response capabilities that no one dares to provoke,” and added: “We will establish an ironclad coastal readiness posture in the waters along the boundary line.”
As per DAPA, three more Batch II warships are expected to be handed over to the ROKN before the end of the year.
- You can read more details on the DAPA website
