New satellite images show what could be North Korea’s largest ship ship – possibly more than double the size of any ship in the leader Kim Jong Un naval fleet.
Images captured by Independent Satellite Providers Maxer Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6 show the ship under construction at the Namo Shipyard, on the west coast of North Korea, about 60 km southwest of the capital Pyongyang.
Analysts say the images show the ongoing construction of weapons and other internal systems of the ship, which is probably a Fragata (War Type) Guided missile (FFG) designed to transport missiles in vertical release tubes for use against land and sea targets.
“The FFG is approximately 140 meters long, making it the largest war ship manufactured in North Korea,” says an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
For the purpose of comparison, US Navy Arleigh Burke Class Freemakers are about 153 meters long and the constellation class frigates, under construction, will be 150 meters long.
The existence of the war ship is not a surprise.
Weapons development despite sanctions
Kim’s regime has been engaging in a rapid modernization of its armed forces, developing a range of new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach virtually anywhere in the United States.
This is done despite the sanctions of the United Nations, which impose rigid limits on their access to materials and technology necessary for the development of these weapons.
But the narrower ties with Russia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine may be helping North Korea to overcome UN sanctions, analysts say.
Kim Duk-Ki, retired South Korean Admiral, said he believed Moscow may be providing technology to frigate missile systems.
Photos of the vessel appeared in a state -owned Korean Central TV report released at the end of last year at the Month -end session of the Workers Party.
The images showed leader Kim inspecting the construction of the vessel.
Images in the Korean Central TV video (KCTV) show that the war ship can have the type of weaponry that modern marines have, including vertical release cells that can be used to fire a variety of missiles.
Analysts also noted that the ship seems to be configured to have a phased matrix radar, which can track threats and targets faster and more accurately than the previously demonstrated North Korean capabilities.
Despite these indications of advanced combat capabilities, analysts recommended caution in making assumptions.
The challenge of building war ships
Almost any naval builder can hit the hull and propulsion systems, said Carl Schuster, former US Navy captain and Hawaii-based analyst.
“However, modern war ships represent a challenge of communications, electronics, weapons and technologies of electronic and acoustic sensor” that is not so easy to achieve, he explained.
In an interview with CNN In March, South Korean parliamentarian Kim Byung-Kee, a member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, questioned whether Pyongyang has the technical capacity to build an advanced war ship or the necessary infrastructure to support him.
“Operating such a large military war ship requires a significant budget. They not only need to build a war ship, but also form a team to operate it, and the cost includes equipment and fuel. In addition, a huge war ship cannot navigate alone. So the question is: Can North Korea bear the cost?” He said.
Kim, retired South Korean Admiral, was cautious by not underestimating the appearance of the final product, especially its lethality.
“If North Korea equip the new frigate with the hypersonic ballistic missile that claimed to have successfully tested in January, this will have a decisive impact on regional security,” said the former Navy officer.
After analyzing satellite images for the CNN Schuster said that probably still a year or more of work before the new North Korean war ship starts tests at sea.
“The construction of this ship is being delayed by the lack of superstructure, sensors and weapons systems planned for installation,” said Kim.
North Korea’s aged fleet
The North Korea Navy has about 400 patrol combat ships and 70 submarines, according to the latest estimate of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (day in English) in a 2021 report.
Although they are numerous vessels, most of them are old and small.
Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in a blog post in January that Pyongyang has only two main surface combat ships.
Najin class frigates – 1,600 tons war ships dating from the early 1970s – they are obsolete, he wrote.
The day report stated that the North Korean Navy would be largely reduced to coastal defense in any conflict with South Korea or the United States, both with much higher naval forces.
But North Korean leader Kim has pressured to modernize his naval fleet.
The country is also developing missiles launched by submarines and submarines to carry them.
In September, Kim inspected the site for a new naval port.
“Now that soon we will have large surface war ships and submarines that cannot be anchored on existing facilities to attract war ships, the construction of a naval base to operate the latest large war ships has become an urgent task,” he explained at the time.
Yu Yong-Won, a South Korean parliamentarian, stressed that the ship under construction at the Nampo Shipyard is just an example of Kim’s attempt to modernize his navy.
A submarine with nuclear propulsion is under construction at a shipyard in the North Korean port of Sinpo and another frigate or fresher is under construction in Chongjin, Yu said.
This content was originally published in North Korea may be building a largest war ship in history on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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