Commissioning of Large Transport Ship 'Marado'

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Navy's second large transport ship, Marado-class amphibious assault ship (LPH, 14,500 tons), has been commissioned. The Marado-class ship performs missions such as operational command during disasters and emergencies, evacuation of overseas nationals in crises, international peacekeeping activities, and also serves as a command and control ship for mobile units.

According to the Navy on the 28th, this transport ship is expected to be operationally deployed around October after undergoing an operational capability evaluation. The Marado-class ship is the first large transport ship commissioned in 14 years since the Dokdo-class (the first ship). It has significantly enhanced combat capabilities by improving issues identified during the operation of the first ship and equipping the latest equipment.

In particular, the domestically produced anti-ship guided missile defense missile "Haegung" installed for ship defense is a vertical launch type. It is equipped with an improved seeker, providing excellent response capability even in severe weather conditions, and has an extended range. The Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) installed on the Dokdo-class has a drawback of shadow zones depending on the installation location.

The ship is equipped with a domestically developed combat system. Compared to the Dokdo-class combat system, which was developed domestically with foreign technical support, the Marado-class has improved target data processing speed, simultaneous response to air and surface targets, and weapon control capabilities.

The search radar is also a domestically developed 3D rotating radar, which increases detection range and target update rate compared to the Dokdo-class.

Additionally, unlike the rotating air defense radar on the Dokdo-class, the Marado-class is equipped with four fixed air defense radars like an Aegis destroyer, reducing detection errors and enhancing target identification capabilities. With improved air defense radar performance, aircraft control capabilities have also been strengthened, enabling more advanced three-dimensional high-speed amphibious assault operations. Furthermore, the flight deck and side ramp have been reinforced to improve aircraft takeoff and landing as well as loading capabilities.

The flight deck material has been changed from high-tensile steel to ultra-high-tensile steel, allowing the takeoff and landing of US Osprey-class vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The side ramp has been strengthened in load-bearing capacity and widened to enable loading of main equipment such as tanks even while moored at the pier. The side ramp refers to the entrance and exit used by main equipment like tanks and crew members.

The Marado-class ship is 199.4 meters long and 31.4 meters high, with a maximum speed of 42 km/h. It carries 330 crew members. The ship's name, Marado, is derived from the southernmost island, symbolizing the Navy's determination to protect the southern sea area of the Korean Peninsula and maritime traffic routes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.