South Korea Navy plans drone carrier, nuclear submarines by early 2040s to counter North Korea
South Korea’s Navy plans a 30,000-ton-class manned-unmanned carrier and nuclear attack submarines by the early 2040s, alongside new destroyers and interceptors, to counter North Korean threats.
The Navy outlined the plan during an annual parliamentary audit, saying it would incorporate artificial intelligence and drone technologies into its modern warfare capabilities. Under its initiative for a manned-unmanned teaming battle group, the Navy has submitted a requirement proposal to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the asset, and the JCS is expected to finalize its decision on the acquisition plan by the end of this year. The Navy aims to put the unmanned carrier system into operational service by the early 2040s.
The manned-unmanned fleet, also called a drone carrier, will be 270 meters long and 70 meters wide, with a displacement exceeding 30,000 tons, the Navy said. That makes it larger than the previously considered light aircraft carrier concept and more than twice the size of the 14,000-ton Dokdo amphibious assault ship, currently the Navy’s largest warship. The platform is to accommodate more than 20 unmanned systems, including naval combat drones, reconnaissance and suicide unmanned aerial vehicles, and swarm-attack and mine warfare uncrewed surface vehicles.
The Navy also reaffirmed plans to build next-generation KDDX destroyers and intelligence collection ships by the early to mid-2030s. It will push to secure ship-to-surface ballistic missiles, long-range loitering munitions, and SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors.
Under the Jang Bogo N program to build nuclear attack submarines, the Navy said it will proceed with a plan to launch the lead vessel in the mid-2030s and deploy it for operational service by the late 2030s. The military launched the program in May under a summit agreement reached with the United States in October last year. Defense officials reportedly seek to build at least three 8,000-ton vessels within the targeted time frame. The submarines will run on high-assay low-enriched uranium enriched to below 20 percent, a key technical specification designed to bolster Seoul’s deterrence against regional security threats, particularly those from Pyongyang.
In a separate audit session, the Air Force said it plans to move its T-50 trainer and TA-50 light attack jets from its air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju to two other regional bases in North Gyeongsang Province and South Chungcheong Province. The Gwangju air base has been designated as the site for a multibillion-dollar semiconductor cluster project involving South Korea’s chip giants Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. The Air Force is also relocating the 1st Fighter Wing by dispersing its operations to three different regions. A military airport inside the Gwangju base will be relocated to the adjacent Muan County.