General Naval News

[swerve]

Agree on that, this Ships will not be much a match to any ROKN new Frigates let alone Destroyers. However DPRK Navy still need to provide updated surface vessels. Considering their situation, those ships will be good exercise for their Shipyards. Perhaps in similar ways that Myanmar domestic build Frigates. Both isolated regimes and need to shown their Military Production to continue support their hold on to power.

Besides with the amounts of VLS they carry, I don't think DPRK plan for them to face ROKN vessels directly. More likely they are going to operate on coastal waters and launch salvo of their missiles, being covered by DPRK aerial assets. It won't make them Green Water Navy and still stay as Brown Water ones.

An expensive way of providing missile launchers. Land-based missile launchers plus more submarines would probably be more cost-effective.

 

[Ananda]

Land-based missile launchers plus more submarines would probably be more cost-effective.

The way they pack VLS on that ship, basically it is become equivalent of arsenal ship concept. Thus it bring more then any of their SSK can bring. Eventough it is most likely will operate from their coastal waters, still mobile enough.

It has helicopter deck but the hangar space being use to house VLS. In my opinion shown DPRK intention to pack as much as Missiles possible on every space. Thus this is shown indication of arsenal ship concept, build for DPRK Conditions. They claim it is build in 400 days, thus less then 2 years. Indicating this is not build for long endurance in their minds.

 

[swerve]

I didn't mean submarines as carriers of land-attack missiles, but as anti-ship platforms. If North Korea goes to war with the ROK, it'll have to fight the S. Korean navy, or S. Korean ships will be free to attack almost with impunity. It would also be advantageous for the DPRK to be able to attack merchant shipping heading for S. Korean ports. S. Korea's effectively an island. All its trade & travel is by sea or air.

A ship hugging the DPRK coast would be of little value for that, & it'd be more expensive than land-based missile launchers, even mobile ones, & it'd be a lot of eggs in one basket. It looks to me like a vanity project for Fat Man.