The First Mission of Marado Ship is 'Reenactment of the Armed Forces Day Landing Operation'

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Navy's second large transport ship, Marado-class LPH (14,500-ton class), will carry out its first mission during the Armed Forces Day event on the 1st of next month.

According to government officials on the 10th, "The Marado-class ship, commissioned last June, will be deployed in next month's Armed Forces Day event to reenact an amphibious operation, marking its de facto first mission."

Since the Moon Jae-in administration, the Armed Forces Day event has been held four times. In 2017 (69th anniversary), it was held at Pyeongtaek 2nd Fleet; in 2018 (70th anniversary), at the War Memorial; in 2019 (71st anniversary), at Daegu Air Base; and last year (72nd anniversary), at the Army Special Warfare Command. Locations representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force were chosen to conduct events tailored to each branch's characteristics.

This year, near the waters off Pohang City, Gyeongbuk Province, the Marado-class ship will take the lead, accompanied by an amphibious landing ship (LST, 2,600-ton class), an Aegis destroyer (DDG, 7,600-ton class), and a patrol ship (PCC, 1,000-ton class). The 1st Marine Division will mobilize one brigade to reenact an amphibious operation. Notably, the Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine, the first domestically produced 3,000-ton class submarine (Jangbogo III-class) that recently succeeded in test-firing a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), will also showcase its presence.

The Marado-class ship, performing its first mission, is a large transport ship commissioned 14 years after the Dokdo-class (the first ship). It is equipped with the domestically developed anti-ship guided missile 'Haegung.' It also features a domestically researched and developed 3D rotating radar, which improves detection range and target update rate compared to the Dokdo-class. The Marado-class ship measures 199.4 meters in length and 31.4 meters in height, with a maximum speed of 42 km/h. It carries a crew of 330.

The Marado-class ship performs various missions including operational command during disasters and emergencies, evacuation of overseas nationals in emergencies, international peacekeeping activities, and serves as a command and control ship for mobile units. The ship's name, Marado, was chosen to embody the Navy's determination to protect the southern sea area of the Korean Peninsula and maritime traffic routes, named after the southernmost island 'Marado.'

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