[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] The Resurrected Cheonan Ship 'West Sea Operational Deployment'

The new frigate Cheonan (FFG-826·photo) has been commissioned. It is the latest warship that revives the name of the Cheonan (PCC-772), which was decommissioned after being hit by a torpedo launched from a North Korean submarine on March 26, 2010.

On the 19th, the Navy announced, “After commissioning, Cheonan will undergo a process of operational capability evaluation and is scheduled to be deployed for operations in the West Sea.”

The naming of the new frigate Cheonan carries the meaning of honoring the Cheonan that sank due to a North Korean torpedo attack. The patrol ship Cheonan (PCC-772), commissioned in 1988, protected the West Sea, including participation in the First Battle of Yeonpyeong, before being hit by a torpedo launched from a North Korean submarine on March 26, 2010, and subsequently decommissioned. Since the end of 2019, the Navy has been reviewing the naming of the Cheonan at the request of the bereaved families and related organizations.

The revived Cheonan is much stronger. Cheonan has been upgraded from a patrol ship to a frigate. Patrol ships, which perform coastal security missions, are smaller than frigates. Frigates are assigned specialized missions such as coastal defense and convoy escort, and due to advancements in weapon systems, they possess combat power comparable to destroyers.

The new Cheonan has superior anti-submarine capabilities compared to the old Cheonan. It is equipped with a towed array sonar system (TASS), which the old Cheonan did not have. This allows detection of submarines at long distances.

Additionally, the new Cheonan is equipped with the long-range anti-submarine torpedo Hong Sang-eo, which was not present on the old Cheonan. Hong Sang-eo is an anti-submarine guided weapon system equipped with lightweight torpedoes launched vertically from surface ships to attack distant enemy submarines. The launch flame suppression technology applied to the vertical launch system that carries and operates Hong Sang-eo was independently developed domestically.

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