Incheon-class frigate

Incheon-class frigate
Class overview
Name:	Incheon class
Builders:	Hyundai Heavy Industries STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering
Operators:	Republic of Korea Navy
Preceded by:	Ulsan-class frigate Pohang-class corvette
Cost:	$232 million
In service:	Batch I: 6
Building:	Batch II: 1
Planned:	18 to 24
Completed:	Batch I: 6
General characteristics
Type:	Coastal defense frigate
Displacement:	2,300 t (Batch I) (empty), 2,800 t (Batch II) (empty) 3,251t (Batch I) (full load) (Some Korean Source claims 2,800t), 3,592t (Batch II) (full load)
Length:	114 m (374 ft), 122m (Batch II)
Beam:	14 m (46 ft)
Draft:	4 m (13 ft)
Propulsion:	CODLAG(Batch II); CODOG(Batch I) 2 × MTU 12V 1163 TB83 diesel engine 2 × GE LM2500 gas turbine (Batch I) 1 x Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine (Batch II)
Speed:	30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) (max) 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (cruising)
Range:	4,500 nautical miles (8,000 km)
Complement:	140
Sensors and processing systems:	SPS-550K 3D air search radar SPS-540K fire control radar SQS-240K hull-mounted sonar SQR-220KA1 towed array sonar system (Batch II) Hanwha Systems IRSTs Naval Shield Integrated Combat Management System
Electronic warfare & decoys:	LIG Nex1 SLQ-200(V)K Sonata electronic warfare suite SLQ-261K torpedo acoustic counter measures KDAGAIE Mk2 decoy launchers (Batch I) MASS decoy launchers (Batch II)
Armament:	1 × 5 inch Mk-45 Mod 4 (127mm/L62) naval gun 1 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS 2 × 3 K745 LW Blue Shark torpedoes Missiles: Batch I: 1 × RAM Block 1 (21 round launcher) 2 × 4 SSM-700K Haeseong anti-ship missiles 2 × 4 Haeseong Tactical Land Attack Missiles Batch II: 16 cell KVLS Haegung K-SAAM (4 per cell) Haeseong Tactical Land Attack Missiles (vertical launch) Hong Sang Eo anti-submarine rockets 2 × 4 SSM-700K Haeseong anti-ship missiles
Aircraft carried:	Super Lynx or AW159
Aviation facilities:	Flight deck and enclosed hangar for up to one medium-lift helicopters

The Incheon-class frigates (Hangul: 인천급 호위함, Hanja: 仁川級護衛艦), also known as the Future Frigate eXperimental or FFX during development, are coastal defense frigates of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship was launched on 29 April 2011. The Incheon-class frigates will replace the aging fleet of Pohang-class corvettes and Ulsan-class frigates, and take over multi-role operations such as coast patrol, anti-submarine warfare and transport support. Later batches are planned to be specialized on anti-air and anti-submarine warfare.

In the early 1990s, the Korean government plan for the construction of next generation coastal ships named Frigate 2000 was scrapped due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. But the decommissioning of the Gearing-class destroyers and the aging fleet of Ulsan-class frigates, the plan was revived as the Future Frigate eXperimental, also known as FFX in the early 2000s.

The Republic of Korea Navy initially wanted twenty-four 3000 ton frigates to replace the Ulsan-, Pohang- and Donghae-class coastal fleet of 37 ships. It was later decided that six 2700 ton ships will be constructed for the first batch. In 2008, the plan was further downgraded to 2300 tons when president Lee Myung-bak took office, with the number of ships for the first batch down to six. 6-9 ships are planned for the second batch of FFX with the final goal of 20-24 frigates.

Batch II vessels are to be built by DSME with the twin gas turbine layout replaced with a single Rolls Royce MT30 turbine engine, and propulsion will be all-electric. Other changes include a 16-cell (KVLS) with longer-ranged surface-to-air missiles and the use of anti-submarine missiles, and a larger hangar for a 10-ton helicopter.

In 2010 the construction of the first FFX frigate was awarded to Hyundai Heavy Industry and in April 2011 the first of its class, ROKS Incheon was launched. The ship is named after the western port city of Incheon, representing the Republic of Korea Navy's initiative to defend the western islands due to the constant clashes with the North Korean navy in this area.

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Wikipedia