The Korean fleet was replenished with the first submarine of the KSS-III project. Yesterday, on August 13, the press service of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) announced that the SS 083 Dosan An Chang-Ho submarine officially joined the Navy of the Republic of Korea.
The submarine was laid down in May 2016 and launched in September 2018. Initially, it was planned that Dosan An Chang-Ho would be transferred to the fleet in 2020, but due to the pandemic, these deadlines have shifted somewhat. The submarine will go on its first combat duty this month.
SS 083 Dosan An Chang-Ho submarine commissioning ceremony
As part of the KSS-III (Chang Bogo III) project, it is planned to build nine submarines for the South Korean Navy, which will be released in three batches with modifications to each of the subsequent ones. Each of the submarines of the first series will have 83.5 m in length and a displacement of more than 3000 tons. The main armament of the submarines will be multi-purpose cruise missiles manufactured by LIG Nex1 (the launcher will accommodate 6 missiles), as well as torpedoes.
All nine submarines should leave the stocks by 2029, while the submarines of the second and third batches will be significantly modified. Thus, the Administration of Defense Procurement Programs (DAPA, Defense Acquisition Program Administration) has already approved the project of the second-generation submarines Chang Bogo III, the construction of which will begin in the coming years.
