Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer

South Korea's second-generation guided-missile destroyer class, named for the famed 16th-century admiral and built to add area air-defense and land-attack capability beyond the earlier KDX-I frigates. Six ships were constructed between 2002 and 2006, combining a 32-cell Mk 41 VLS for SM-2 missiles with a separate K-VLS for anti-submarine rockets and Hyunmoo-III cruise missiles.

In service since 2003

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

5,500

VLS

300

crew

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

ROK export-licensed

DAPA-administered; aggressive export posture with financing/offset packages.

Channel: Government-to-government

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

In service since 2003. Status: active · ~6 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

Mk 41 VLS-class

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 5-inch (127 mm)/L62 Mk 45 Mod 4 naval gun
VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.: 56

Stronger than 83% of warships
Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).: 6

Stronger than 69% of warships

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 150 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes — the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.: 5,500 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.: 6,520 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.: 30 kn

Stronger than 74% of warships
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.: 300
Aircraft carried Embarked aircraft/helicopters. Higher extends the ship’s sensor and strike reach.: 2

Stronger than 51% of warships
Propulsion plant Machinery type — nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: Combined diesel or gas (CODOG): Hanwha-GE LM2500 gas turbines, Doosan MTU 956 diesels

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: AN/SPS-49(V)5 2D long-range radar, MW08 3D target indication radar, 2x STIR240 fire-control radar

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 6

Stronger than 78% of warships

Specifications compiled from public HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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