Republic of Korea Navy takes delivery of fourth Sejong the Great-class destroyer

The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) took delivery of a new guided-missile destroyer from local shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in a ceremony on Wednesday, November 27.

ROKS Jeongjo the Great, which was commissioned into ROKN service that same day, is the first unit of three ships under Batch II of the ROKN's KDX-III or Sejong the Great-class destroyers. This makes it the fourth vessel overall in the Sejong the Great-class.

As with its KDX-III Batch II sisters, Jeongjo the Great has a length of 170 metres, a beam of 21 metres, a displacement of 8,200 tonnes, a maximum speed of 30 knots, and armament consisting of a 127mm naval gun, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, land attack cruise missiles, and torpedoes. Installation of the Aegis Combat System will enable the ship to successfully intercept ballistic missiles.

The destroyer also has aviation facilities for use by an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. The electronics suite meanwhile includes a phased array radar and an integrated sonar system.