 Editor in Chief Bill   | 12 Aug 2020 7:19 a.m. PST |
South Korea's 2021-2025 defense blueprint, which was revealed yesterday, provides fresh details on the plans to develop an aircraft carrier capability for the Republic of Korea (RoK) Navy. The LPX-II project will be a dedicated light aircraft carrier for F-35B; it will not be an amphibious assault ship… link |
| 15mm and 28mm Fanatik | 12 Aug 2020 7:36 a.m. PST |
A dedicated VTOL/STOVL carrier that's tailor-made for just the F-35B? Now that's a first. |
| Rudysnelson | 12 Aug 2020 10:18 a.m. PST |
Why? South Korea is a peninsula so a land aircraft carrier. Being able to cover area of operations. |
| smithsco | 12 Aug 2020 11:35 a.m. PST |
@RudyNelson It isn't to fight the North, although it would be handy to park of the coast and hit them like the US did in the war. It's about fighting China and possibly Japan. They don't trust either nation and naval aviation would be useful against both. |
| Thresher01 | 12 Aug 2020 11:57 a.m. PST |
Seems like a waste of money to me. |
| David Manley | 12 Aug 2020 12:27 p.m. PST |
This is more about Japan than China and the North. |
| Rudysnelson | 12 Aug 2020 12:27 p.m. PST |
Agree with Thresher01. Such a vessel would only be a target and not last long. Drone cruisers or destroyers would be more mobile and cheaper.
War with China or even Japan are impossible adversaries. |
| Wargamer Blue | 12 Aug 2020 3:29 p.m. PST |
Good for them. Sounds like a really interesting ship. |
| smithsco | 12 Aug 2020 8:36 p.m. PST |
Don't discount distrust of China and its relationship with the DPRK. Japan and South Korea have really tense relations with conflicting claims on some islands. Doesn't make news but it's very real. If you're fighting over a piece of rock in the ocean then a carrier is a good thing to have. Stupid reason to fight but sound military thought for that fight in my opinion. |
| arealdeadone | 12 Aug 2020 9:00 p.m. PST |
This is more about Japan than China and the North. Totally agree. Such a vessel would only be a target and not last long. Even so China, Japan, Turkey, Russia are all scrambling to acquire such vessels. Egypt and Australia both acquired LHA/Ds recently. War with China or even Japan are impossible adversaries. I don't think South Korea plans war on China. It does think it has a shot against Japan. Note Japan and South Korea both have population decline though Japan's is well and truly collapsing at ever increasing speed with a median age of over 46 years of age (so 50% of population is over 46).
That makes recruitment to the military really problematic especially as it can't compete with civilian careers. Immigration is still unacceptable (and even in Europe and Australia large scale immigration is not solving worker shortages).
Automation may alleviate this but the truth is that the military is still manpower intensive and all future systems being planned are still largely manned. Thus at some stage soon Japan's ability to maintain a large navy will be significantly reduced and at a rate quicker than South Korea's. |
| 15mm and 28mm Fanatik | 13 Aug 2020 8:08 a.m. PST |
China, Japan, Turkey, Russia are all scrambling to acquire such vessels. Egypt and Australia both acquired LHA/Ds recently. Except the OP clearly stated that this LPX-II isn't an LHA/LHD amphibious assault ship. It's a dedicated fixed-wing "baby carrier." |
| arealdeadone | 13 Aug 2020 4:03 p.m. PST |
Fanatik, yes I missed that. To be fair US Marines, Italy and Spain use LHA/Ds as light carriers and Japan is going to use their "helicopter destroyer" as a light carrier.
Turks were going to use their new LHD as a light carrier until F-35 slipped out of their grasp.
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