|
The ''Incheon''-class frigates (Hangul: 인천급 호위함, Hanja: 仁川級護衛艦), also known as Future Frigate eXperimental or FFX during development, are coastal defense frigates of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship was launched on 29 April 2011. The ''Incheon''-class frigates will replace the aging fleet of corvettes and frigates, and take over multi-role operations such as coast patrol, anti-submarine warfare and transport support. Later batches are planned to be specialized on anti-air and anti-submarine warfare. ==Development== 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 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 -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 three. 3 to 9 ships are planned for the second batch of FFX with the final goal of 15 frigates. Batch II vessels are to be built by DSME with the twin gas turbine layout replaced with a single Rolls Royce MT30 turbine engine, and propulsion will be all-electric. Other changes include a 16-cell Korean Vertical Launch System (KVLS) with longer-ranged surface-to-air missiles and the use of anti-submarine missiles, and a larger hangar for a 10-ton helicopters.〔("Korea’s New Coastal Frigates: the FFX Incheon Class" )〕 In 2010 the construction of the first FFX frigate was awarded to Hyundai Heavy Industry and in April 2011 the first of its class, ROKS ''Incheon'' was launched. The ship is named after the western port city of Incheon, representing the Republic of Korea Navy's initiative to defend the western islands due to the constant clashes with the North Korean navy in this area. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Incheon-class frigate」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|