South Korean Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

[zyklon]

Target practice for Chinese missiles. They will be destroyed in port. Completely pointless for them to build these. Shows the level of poor strategic thinking that south Korea has on all levels.

The South Korean military, including their navy, is not organized, equiped, trained or otherwise intended to be an effective fighting force against the PLA. They exist to fight their North Korean brethren, and arguably to deter the Japanese over disputed territory.

Probably why their first "baby carrier" was christened the Dokdo, after disputed islets controlled by South Korea, but also claimed by Japan:

TBF, while the ROKN doesn't operate nuclear submarines,

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, or crewed fixed wing aviation from their flattops, in terms of actual capabilities, they're more or less up there with major European powers. Comparatively speaking, they're short on expeditionary capabilities, but unlike the British and French, the South Koreans are also not trying to hang on to distant colonial possessions from a bygone era.

If you look at where the commercial South Korean shipbuilding industry stands globally, it shouldn't surprise anyone that they operate a highly capable navy. Not quite the USN, but definitely a force that should be taken seriously.

 

[johncliu88]

On Feb. 25, a F-16C crashed into the mountain and caused fire, pilot ejected and he was safe.

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[Gloire_bb]

 

[Deino]

Even more interesting, the first LRIP aircraft had its roll-out today

 

[manqiangrexue]

Even more interesting, the first LRIP aircraft had its roll-out today

View attachment 172284

What??!! I thought they were joking; they actually put into production a stealth fighter without a weapons bay??

 

[johncliu88]

What??!! I thought they were joking; they actually put into production a stealth fighter without a weapons bay??

SK has some orders of this plane already. And it looks very much alike a F-22 Raptor.

 

[manqiangrexue]

SK has some orders of this plane already.

Oh right, from the Philippines. They need it without bays cus giving Filipinos a jet where they need to remember to open the bay before firing a missile is just waiting for the accident to happen.

And it looks very much alike a F-22 Raptor.

Looks like a generic stealth fighter.

 

[mack8]

What??!! I thought they were joking; they actually put into production a stealth fighter without a weapons bay??

That's because the americans ordered them to build it like that so it can't compete directly with the F-35.

 

[taxiya]

That's because the americans ordered them to build it like that so it can't compete directly with the F-35.

It is just that SK does not have the wind tunnel to test a proper weapons bay. And even they have it will take a long time to perfect it to the point of letting a real aircraft to release weapons in various conditions. SK choose to do it two steps, the first is the LRIP. We will have to wait and see how they manage the 2nd step. BTW, there are not many countries who have such wind tunnels.

 

[Gloire_bb]

What??!! I thought they were joking; they actually put into production a stealth fighter without a weapons bay??

It isn't stealth. Maybe will be in ~10 years, but there was no such intention with blk 1/2.

Despite it's looks, it's a rather modest F-5 replacement. Not even KF-16.

It is just that SK does not have the wind tunnel to test a proper weapons bay. And even they have it will take a long time to perfect it to the point of letting a real aircraft to release weapons in various conditions. SK choose to do it two steps, the first is the LRIP

It isn't tunnel, it's a long and rather risky flight testing program.