The Republic of Korea Navy has taken delivery of the second Daegu-class frigate from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME).
The guided missile frigate Gyeongnam was delivered on December 31, 2020, a year and half after its launch in June 2019, the South Korean defense procurement agency DAPA announced.
Gyeongnam incorporates stealth design features and a towed array sonar system (TASS) for increased anti-submarine warfare capability.
The first ship in the class, ROKS Daegu, was built by DSME and delivered in 2018. The third and fourth, as well as the final two ships in the class, will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries. South Korea will build a total of eight ships in the class.
The Daegu-class is an improved version of the Incheon-class frigates. In addition to the new towed array sonar system, Daegu-class has a 16-cell Korean vertical launch system (K-VLS) that supports the K-SAAM, Hong Sang Eo anti-submarine, and Haeryong land attack missiles. They also also have a quieter hybrid electric drive propulsion system.
DAPA expects all eight frigates to be delivered to the navy by 2023.
