By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The Navy plans to launch its second, 1,800-ton advanced submarine equipped with high-tech missile and sensor systems next month, arms agency officials said Tuesday.
Named after Jeong Ji, a military general of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) who defeated Japanese invaders, the Type-214 submarine is expected play a pivotal role in safeguarding the country's maritime interests, and extending the naval operational range as part of the Navy's ``strategic mobile fleet.''
The strategic mobile fleet will include stealth destroyers, submarines, anti-submarine aircraft and Aegis-equipped warships, which can be rapidly deployed in a conflict situation.
The Type-214 equipped with state-of-the-art torpedoes and submarine-to-surface missiles has a maximum submerged speed of 20 knots and a crew of 40. One boat costs around $1 billion.
The 65.3-meter-long submarine is equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) which improves its underwater performance and gives it a stealth capability. The submarine can submerge to a depth of up to 400 meters and carry out underwater operations for as long as two weeks.
Its ISUS-90 integrated sensor submarine system will enable operators to deal with all information in many different variants and detect up to 300 targets simultaneously. The submarine has an operational radius reaching Guam, and will be operational in late 2008 after sea trials.
A launching ceremony will be held at a shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, some 410 kilometers southeast Seoul.
The Navy has nine German-made Type-209 submarines (1,300-tons), all diesel and electric powered. One more Type-214 submarine is under development at Hyundai Heavy Industries with technical cooperation with HDW of Germany under a 2000 deal.
The first Type-214, the Sohn Won-il was launched last June and is scheduled to be operational in November.
``Making the most of expertise accrued by co-building Types 209 and 214 submarines with Germany, we will seek to begin developing indigenous 3,000-ton submarines by 2018,'' an official for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said.