ROKS Gwangju (FFG-817)

ROKS Gwangju (FFG-817) is the sixth ship of the Incheon-class frigate in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after the city, Gwangju.

For other ships with the same name, see ROKS Gwangju.
History
South Korea
Name
  • Gwangju
  • (광주)
NamesakeGwangju
BuilderSTX
Launched11 August 2015
Commissioned9 November 2016
IdentificationPennant number: FFG-817
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeIncheon-class frigate
Displacement
  • 2,300 tonnes (2,264 long tons) light
  • 3,251 tonnes (3,200 long tons) full load
Length114 m (374 ft)
Beam14 m (46 ft)
Draft4 m (13 ft)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) (max)
  • 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (cruising)
Range4,500 nautical miles (8,000 km)
Complement140
Sensors and
processing systems
  • SPS-550K air search 3D radar
  • SPG-540K fire control radar
  • SQS-240K hull-mounted sonar
  • SAQ-540K EOTS
  • Naval Shield Integrated Combat Management System
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • LIG Nex1 SLQ-200(V)K Sonata electronic warfare suite
  • SLQ-261K torpedo acoustic counter measures
  • KDAGAIE Mk 2 decoy launchers
Armament
Aircraft carriedSuper Lynx or AW159 helicopter
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck and enclosed hangar for one medium-lift helicopter

Development
Main article: Incheon-class frigate

In the early 1990s, the Korean government plan for the construction of next generation coastal ships named Frigate 2000 was scrapped due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. But the decommissioning of the Gearing-class destroyers and the aging fleet of Ulsan-class frigates, the plan was revived as the Future Frigate eXperimental, also known as FFX in the early 2000s.

The Republic of Korea Navy initially wanted twenty-four 3000 ton frigates to replace the Ulsan, Pohang and Donghae-class coastal fleet of 37 ships. It was later decided that six 2700 ton ships will be constructed for the first batch. In 2008, the plan was further downgraded to 2300 tons when president Lee Myung-bak took office, with the number of ships for the first batch down to six. 8 ships are planned for the second batch of FFX with the final goal of 20-22 frigates.[2]

Construction and career

ROKS Gwangju was launched on 11 August 2015 by STX Offshore & Shipbuilding and commissioned on 9 November 2016.[3]

References
  1. Tomohiko Tada (August 2013). "13. Incheon class FF / South Korea". Ships of the World (782): 102–103.
  2. "Rolls-Royce to supply MT30 Gas Turbines to next three Korean Daegu-class frigates". www.rolls-royce.com.
  3. "Navy launches new frigate Gwangju, 6th in next-generation fleet project". koreatimes. 2015-08-11. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
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