DSME 'Joint Firepower Ship' for the ROK Navy

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So 6 modules of KVLS, followed by 4 modules of KVLS2 behind the bridge and 15 ballistic missile cells behind it. Seems like they are planning to arm it with two different types (one heavy and one light) of ballistic missiles. Maybe the KVLS2 is meant for the supersonic cruise missile but I don't think that it would be so large that it wouldn't fit KVLS, though there ain't much info regarding such, so we'll see.
 
Maro.Kyo said:
So 6 modules of KVLS, followed by 4 modules of KVLS2 behind the bridge and 15 ballistic missile cells behind it. Seems like they are planning to arm it with two different types (one heavy and one light) of ballistic missiles. Maybe the KVLS2 is meant for the supersonic cruise missile but I don't think that it would be so large that it wouldn't fit KVLS, though there ain't much info regarding such, so we'll see.
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I think KVLS-II is in 4-round modules, so technically 8 modules, but still 32 missiles either way.

I think it's even more of a kitchen sink than that. There are two 2-missile launcher frames that appear to fold down between the superstructure and flight deck (we see one pivoted to vertical and one stowed horizontally) and an even longer/larger missile in a framework hanging over the transom. I can't find sources for what those missiles might be, though. I think they're considerably longer/larger than anything publicly disclosed from the RoK.
 
TomS said:
Maro.Kyo said:
So 6 modules of KVLS, followed by 4 modules of KVLS2 behind the bridge and 15 ballistic missile cells behind it. Seems like they are planning to arm it with two different types (one heavy and one light) of ballistic missiles. Maybe the KVLS2 is meant for the supersonic cruise missile but I don't think that it would be so large that it wouldn't fit KVLS, though there ain't much info regarding such, so we'll see.
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I think KVLS-II is in 4-round modules, so technically 8 modules, but still 32 missiles either way.

I think it's even more of a kitchen sink than that. There are two 2-missile launcher frames that appear to fold down between the superstructure and flight deck (we see one pivoted to vertical and one stowed horizontally) and an even longer/larger missile in a framework hanging over the transom. I can't find sources for what those missiles might be, though. I think they're considerably longer/larger than anything publicly disclosed from the RoK.
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Aren't those launcher frames just 'exploded views' to show what the launcher looks like and not part of the ship?
 
Hobbes said:
Aren't those launcher frames just 'exploded views' to show what the launcher looks like and not part of the ship?
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I don't think so. Look immediately aft of the superstructure, and you can see a duplicate of the twin vertical tubes lying horizontally across the deck, which doesn't make sense just as an "exploded view."

It looks to me that this is a launcher that hinges up so that the exhaust is directed over the side rather than needing to be contained or redirected. It's a very unusual configuration but might be needed for extremely energetic missiles. It's similar to approaches used in a few seaborne MX launcher proposals.
 
Is there a hanger or just a flight deck as those 'whatevertheyare' launchers look to get in the way.

And whats that on the end of the flight deck?
 
PMN1 said:
Is there a hanger or just a flight deck as those 'whatevertheyare' launchers look to get in the way.

And whats that on the end of the flight deck?
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I think just a pad.

The thing on the transom is weird. It almost looks like a light space launch vehicle!?!

Like I said, this feels like a kitchen sink design. Something for everyone.
 

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Excellent. Seems to confirm my speculation about those articulated launchers aft. No mention of the big one at the stern, however.
 
TomS said:
The thing on the transom is weird. It almost looks like a light space launch vehicle!?!
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Looks like that. Seems logical for South Korea to have such capability, actually: they face the same problem with falling boosters as North Korea, which significantly limited their directions for satellite launches. By putting the space rocket on the ship, they could circumvent their territorial limitations.
 
Going by the funky UCAV carrier also on show, it makes me wonder how much of this is blue sky thinking rather than something plausible to be built. It feels like someone was asked to make a missile arsenal ship and stuck on every possible combination of missiles just for laughs. Concept Ships seems to fit what we're seeing here.
 
TomS said:
Hobbes said:
Aren't those launcher frames just 'exploded views' to show what the launcher looks like and not part of the ship?
Click to expand...

I don't think so. Look immediately aft of the superstructure, and you can see a duplicate of the twin vertical tubes lying horizontally across the deck, which doesn't make sense just as an "exploded view."

It looks to me that this is a launcher that hinges up so that the exhaust is directed over the side rather than needing to be contained or redirected. It's a very unusual configuration but might be needed for extremely energetic missiles. It's similar to approaches used in a few seaborne MX launcher proposals.
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yes, you're right. The extra photos posted by raptor82 make it clear they're part of the ship.
 
Dilandu said:
Looks like that. Seems logical for South Korea to have such capability, actually: they face the same problem with falling boosters as North Korea, which significantly limited their directions for satellite launches. By putting the space rocket on the ship, they could circumvent their territorial limitations.
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But why on a warship, especially this one? It only makes sense if they're pushing some sort of "tactically responsive space launch" capability. Which in turn only really makes sense against an adversary with significant ASAT capacity. More about China than the DPRK, I suppose.
 
Hood said:
Going by the funky UCAV carrier also on show, it makes me wonder how much of this is blue sky thinking rather than something plausible to be built. It feels like someone was asked to make a missile arsenal ship and stuck on every possible combination of missiles just for laughs. Concept Ships seems to fit what we're seeing here.
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The missile equivalent of everything but the kitchen sink?
 
TomS said:
But why on a warship, especially this one? It only makes sense if they're pushing some sort of "tactically responsive space launch" capability. Which in turn only really makes sense against an adversary with significant ASAT capacity. More about China than the DPRK, I suppose.
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I suppose mostly to present this design as "also capable of doing civilian work in peacetime".
 
TomS said:
I think just a pad.

The thing on the transom is weird. It almost looks like a light space launch vehicle!?!

Like I said, this feels like a kitchen sink design. Something for everyone.
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You were right. It was confirmed to be a sea-launched SLV. The erecting launchers just behind the superstructure is meant to be Hyunmoo V. The erecting launchers and the SLV launcher are said to be merely company proposals by Hanwha Ocean. The missile configuration is also not really set in stone since the "Joint Firepower Ship" program is still in a preliminary studies stage. The closest part of that model to the real ship in the future would be its mast, funnily enough.

Hood said:
Going by the funky UCAV carrier also on show, it makes me wonder how much of this is blue sky thinking rather than something plausible to be built. It feels like someone was asked to make a missile arsenal ship and stuck on every possible combination of missiles just for laughs. Concept Ships seems to fit what we're seeing here.
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UCAV carrier is a purely private proposal and is not an actual ROKN program whereas the Joint Firepower Ship/Arsenal Ship actually is. Though you are right that in that there would be significant difference between the model and the actual ship. What's more probable is that the actual ship will feature way more ballistic missile cells than present on the model, since that's the main purpose of the ship (build sea-launched ballistic missile platforms since building and operating TELs are exepensive and are pain in the arse).
 
TomS said:
But why on a warship, especially this one? It only makes sense if they're pushing some sort of "tactically responsive space launch" capability. Which in turn only really makes sense against an adversary with significant ASAT capacity. More about China than the DPRK, I suppose.
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Exactly that. RoK forces are very wary of Chinese ASAT threats in case of a war. There were some serious civil-military studies concerning possible sea-launch capabilities further south in the middle of East China Sea. In terms of civil applications there's still a demand for sea launch since even when launched from Naro Space Centre on the penninsula's southern coast, there's some significant payload capacity wasted on post launch maneuvering. Currently a 4-stage solid fuel rocket is in development based on Hyunmoo technology to fulfill the "tactically responsive space launch" demands you've mentioned. It is an ADD program as opposed to other Korean SLV programs which are ran by KARI.
 
I was trying to decide whether the missile coming out of that block of 15 large tubes is actually a ballistic missile or maybe the L-SAM-II BMD missile. It's got that shape to it, if this chart is accurate.

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Some interesting and some bizarre in that concept. Whatever their merits, the vulnerability and stability issues present by the erectable launchers seem....not ideal for a combatant. If they want to put something that big at sea, they'd be better off using a dedicated, maybe optionally-crewed ship to carry a few.
 
Moose said:
Some interesting and some bizarre in that concept. Whatever their merits, the vulnerability and stability issues present by the erectable launchers seem....not ideal for a combatant. If they want to put something that big at sea, they'd be better off using a dedicated, maybe optionally-crewed ship to carry a few.
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Or take another page from sea-based MX and launch the missile from a buoyant capsule. Just slide it over the stern and wait for the ship to sail clear.
 
TomS said:
I was trying to decide whether the missile coming out of that block of 15 large tubes is actually a ballistic missile or maybe the L-SAM-II BMD missile.
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To my knowledge, this ship is not meant for BMD. It's probably one of the Hyunmoo IV variants.
 
The ship's unloaded displacement of 8000t, 150m in length and 20m wide. I think this confirms that the erectable launchers are indeed meant for Hyunmoo V.
 
Maro.Kyo said:
TomS said:
I was trying to decide whether the missile coming out of that block of 15 large tubes is actually a ballistic missile or maybe the L-SAM-II BMD missile.
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To my knowledge, this ship is not meant for BMD. It's probably one of the Hyunmoo IV variants.
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Some iterations of Arsenal Ship have been proposed as remote magazines for all sorts of missiles (strike, AAW, BMD, etc.), controlled by off-board sensors and fired on remote command. I know the JFS has been pitched primarily as a platform for strike missiles, but it's not impossible that it could host other weapons as well. Especially ones too big to carry in large numbers on other ships.

But it's also quite possible that the small model missile is just a generic shape.
 
TomS said:
Some iterations of Arsenal Ship have been proposed as remote magazines for all sorts of missiles (strike, AAW, BMD, etc.), controlled by off-board sensors and fired on remote command. I know the JFS has been pitched primarily as a platform for strike missiles, but it's not impossible that it could host other weapons as well. Especially ones too big to carry in large numbers on other ships.

But it's also quite possible that the small model missile is just a generic shape.
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Like I've said, the program is rather in a definition stage atm. The contractor for the study is HHI and that model from Hanwha doesn't mean much. In terms of why the ship is not meant for BMD, the radar array you see there is X band. It is not meant for long-range volume search or tracking ballistic missiles but rather for faster detection of sea-skimmers and self protection. Anti-air capabilities of this ship will be limited to self-defence, although it will be really good at it with such a large X band radar. And that's about the only thing that is rather concrete concerning this ship, apart from its intended use (re: replace ground-based ballistic missile launcher with a sea-based platform).

So, every piece of missile arrangement, the shape of the ship itself and so on are set to change once the preliminary studies are over. Now it's more of "just for fun" discussion.
 
I understand. But BMD especially often relies on networked sensors, so the launch platform does not necessarily need organic sensors. That was the logic behind the US Arsenal Ship. JFS seems to be better equipped for self-defense but could still potentially serve as a remote launcher for other ships with actual BMD sensors. I recognize that this isn't part of the announced mission for JFS, though.
 

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