Navy holds launch ceremony for new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer

  A launch ceremony for a new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer took place Wednesday in a move expected to strengthen the military's naval and air defense capabilities against North Korean missiles upon completion.

The ceremony for the destroyer was held at an HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in the southern city of Ulsan, some 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the arms procurement agency.

The destroyer, named after Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, one of the greatest thinkers in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), will be the Navy's fifth Aegis destroyer when delivered next year.

It is the second of three 8,200-ton Aegis destroyers that Seoul aims to acquire under the Gwanggaeto-III Batch-II project. The Navy commissioned the first 8,200-ton Jeongjo the Great destroyer in December last year.

"The launched Dasan Jeongyakyong, alongside the Jeongjo the Great destroyer, is equipped with the most powerful combat capabilities among the Navy's surface ships and will become a core asset of a maritime-based three-axis deterrence system," the Navy and DAPA said.

The 170-meter-long and 21-meter-wide destroyer is equipped with advanced stealth features and enhanced detection and interception capabilities against ballistic missiles.

The warship is expected to be fitted with not only the Standard Missile-6 (SM6) but the SM-3 missile system, which is capable of intercepting incoming ballistic missiles at altitudes above 100 kilometers.

The new destroyer is also armed with a homegrown integrated sonar system that enables enhanced capabilities to detect underwater threats, such as enemy submarines and sea mines, and can accommodate the MH-60R SeaHawk multi-mission maritime helicopter for stronger anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

The warship will be delivered to the Navy by the end of next year and will later be assigned to the Navy's Task Fleet Command.