Choe Sŭng-min-class aircraft carrier

The Choe Sŭng-min-class (최승민급 원자력 항공모함) is a class of two nuclear-powered supercarriers built in the Socialist Republic of Menghe for the Menghean Navy. They are the successors to the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng class aircraft carriers. As of 2024, one is in service and another is in fitting-out; there are no confirmed plans for additional ships in the class.

The first ship in the class was originally supposed to bear the name Yusin (유신/維新, "Rejuvenation" or "Restoration"). After Choe Sŭng-min’s death on 17 February 2021, she was abruptly renamed in honor of the deceased former leader. Yusin was then slated to be used as the name of the second ship in the class, MHW-15. For this reason, and especially due to the extensive publicity pre-commissioning and the lateness of the renaming, some sources still refer to these ships as the Yusin class. Further adding to the confusion, after the 2022 Menghean democratic reforms, there was some talk of renaming the second ship Minju (민주/民主 "Democracy"), though as of December 2023 this has not been confirmed.

Like past Menghean aircraft carriers, the Choe Sŭng-min class is primarily designed to support large defensive operations by operating hundreds of kilomters off friendly shores in support of land-based strike assets. Its maritime patrol aircraft and airborne early warning platforms would aid in the search for enemy surface and submarine targets, and its fighters would probe possible enemy carrier battle groups' defenses. After confirming the location of an enemy surface ship formation, the Menghean carrier battle group would then establish a dense bubble of fighter escort, providing a safe missile-launch area for land-based maritime strike bombers. Compared with the two earlier classes, however, the Choe Sŭng-min's additional size also gives it greater flexibility to perform land-attack missions.

Development

Early proposals

While construction on MH-12 Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng was still in its early stages, the Menghean Navy launched design work for a new carrier class which would serve as its successor. Three major design studies were considered, all of them using CATOBAR technology and conventional configurations.

• Plan 448, a 60,000-ton, conventionally powered carrier with 36 fighters;
• Plan 450, an 80,000-ton, nuclear-powered carrier with 48 fighters; and
• Plan 452, an 85,000-ton, conventionally powered carrier with 48 fighters.

Plan 448 would have been an updated version of the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng class, with a smaller island, improved self-defense systems, and newer sensors and electronics. It constituted a low-end, low-risk option.

Plan 450 and Plan 452 were similar in terms of their overall configuration, with three catapults and three hangars as opposed to two each on the preceding class, and four fighter squadrons as opposed to the preceding three. They differed only in terms of their powerplant, with Plan 452 using oil-fired boilers. Further development of the Plan 452 concept found that this would require an increase in displacement to sustain the same speed, deck space, and hangar space.

Plan 439 and Plan 449, two independent designs, proposed 40,000t and 50,000t options, respectively a reversion to the air wing size of the Menghean aircraft carrier Haebang. These designs had a partial ski jump on the bow for launching fighters, and a steam catapult on the diagonal to launch AEW and ASW aircraft. Effectively a Menghean version of the Sea Control Ship concept, this format promised even greater force dispersal than Plan 448, though the General-Directorate for Procurement always regarded the light carrier option as a conceptual experiment rather than a serious alternative to the all-STOBAR fleet carrier.

Selection and revision

Initially, Plan 448 was the favored competitor, because it would incur lower development and design costs. In theory, this would allow Menghe to field a larger number of aircraft carriers, a more effective force composition given its doctrinal emphasis on contesting the South Menghe Sea.

Further analysis, however, concluded that the cost reductions of a 60,000-ton carrier would be cancelled out by duplicated crew, escorts, and support aircraft across a larger batch of ships. A smaller, 40,000-ton option would only aggravate these problems, while also hampering aircraft operations with a smaller flight deck and hybrid STOBAR-CATOBAR layout.

This left the competition down to Plan 450 and Plan 452, effectively a nuclear and conventional version of the same ship. Larger carriers in the 100,000-ton range were discussed, but did not make it to the Plan designation stage. Plan 450, the nuclear design, was eventually selected for construction, on the basis that its additional speed and range would future-proof it against the addition of new missions and patrol areas in the coming decades.

Construction

MHW-14, the first hull in the class, was laid down at the Kimhae Naval Yard on 9 October 2013. She was launched on 18 January 2018, with the keel of her sister ship MHW-15 laid down on the same slipway before the end of the month. Structural work on the hull proceeded quickly, incorporating lessons learned from the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng and Gukga Gyŏngje Gijŏk. The reactors were built by the National Nuclear Power Group, one of Menghe's two major civilian nuclear energy utilities.

MHW-14 was officially commissioned on 12 March 2021, just weeks after being renamed from Yusin to Choe Sŭng-min. Though formally inducted into active service, she spent her early years on what amounted to extended sea trials, giving her crew additional time to iron out problems and familiarize themselves with the ship. By late 2023, independent analysts regarded the ship as fully operational.

Design

Layout

In most respects, the Choe Sŭng-min design resembles an enlarged version of the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng class, with a level flight deck, an angled landing path, and CATOBAR aircraft handling equipment. There are three elevators and three catapults, rather than two of each on the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng class, and the air wing supports four full fighter squadrons rather than two.

One of the most visible differences, especially when seen from the side, is the redesigned island. The new island fits on a smaller footprint, increasing the avaiable deck parking space, and follows a reduced-RCS design influenced by the contemporary Insŏng-class destroyers. The island is also more internally spacious, owing to the use of nuclear power, which obviated the need for a funnel. On the front face of the island, the lower bridge contains the ship's navigation equipment, while the upper bridge is divided between air traffic control (port half) and the Admiral's bridge (starboard half). The starboard bridge wing also has a control position for alongside replenishment operations.

Defensive armament and countermeasures

The Choe Sŭng-min-class carriers are armed only for self-defense, with no long-range surface-to-air or surface-to-surface weaponry, and no anti-submarine weaponry whatsoever. They are fitted with two 8-cell Mark 41 Vertical Launching System units, but these are 4.1-meter-deep self-defense-length units which can only accept YDG-64 and YDG-66 short-range SAMs. The Mk41 launch modules are split between the forward port and starboard aft corners of the flight deck to provide redundancy in the event that one unit is damaged or disabled.

The next line of defense comes in the form of four CIWS mounts. Unlike previous Menghean aircraft carriers, including the Haebang post-refit, which used the Subisu CIWS, the Choe Sŭng-min class uses the GBM-35-2 Ttakttaguri, an enclosed turret for the DGP-35-2 anti-air gun. Though its twin 35mm cannons only produce a combined rate of fire of 1100 rounds per minute, compared with 9200 rpm from the Subisu's twin 23mm rotary cannons, the GBM-35-2 can fire smart-fused prefragmented projectiles. Live-fire tests comparing both weapons found that the GBM-35-2 can achieve a moderately higher kill probability against anti-ship missiles and a significantly higher kill probability against small drones, making it the preferred defensive weapon for future Menghean warships. It is also lighter and requires less below-deck space, allowing it to be mounted on smaller sponsons.

Further defense against missiles comes from four Baram-2 countermeasure projectors, which can launch chaff, flare, and jammer projectiles. Like the CIWS mounts, they are arranged around the corners of the flight deck to provide full coverage. Four reloadable Ori decoy launchers, embedded in the sponsons just aft of the #2 catapult, can eject floating decoys with radar reflectors and IR emitters.

For torpedo defense, the ships carry two Manhwagyŏng-H projectors on the fantail. These provide only 180-degree coverage, meaning the carrier would have to alter course to evade an oncoming torpedo off the bow.

Sensors and electronic warfare

The radar suite for the MHW-14 carrier class was selected to mimic the electronic signature of the contemporary Insŏng-class destroyers, making it difficult for enemy units to identify the carrier from the destroyer by their signatures. This includes a Thales NS50 short-range air search radar on the masthead, which has a range of 180 kilometers, for self-defense. An AN/SPY-6(V)3 AESA system with nine RMAs per face was added during development, replacing the Chasip-N long-range offensive ECM faces.

The electronic warfare suite is built around a reduced, passive-only Chasip system, with the S1 and S2 ESM panels retained. In 2023, the Menghean Navy completed cross-coordination of the Chasip and AN/SPY-6 systems, meaning that the former can cue the latter's targeted jamming function. A four-face Metturi EW suite higher on the island mast provides additional electronic warfare capability, including the ability to autonomously identify incoming missiles and jam them in their own frequencies.

Two Hongmoja infrared sensors mounted on the mast, rotating at 10 or 30 RPM, scan the horizon for sea-skimming missiles. Each sensor head includes a second aperture which can train upward to scan the sky for aircraft. Little is known publicly about this system's sensitivity and practicality, except that it is meant to help a ship identify incoming threats while its radars are shut off or damaged.

Air group

Compared with the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng class, the Choe Sŭng-min air wing was designed to carry slightly more ASW and AEW fixed-wing aircraft and an additional fighter squadron. After basic design work finished, it was found that she was able to host an additional four DS-9 fighters, which would be used as spares to replace any fighters lost, damaged, or undergoing maintenance.

The larger Choe Sŭng-min air wing also includes two organic GH-36HSN pushrotor helicopters for carrier onboard delivery. This distinguishes them from previous Menghean aircraft carriers, which relied on COD helicopters organic to units on shore. The "N" variant of the GH-36HS sports a retractable in-flight refueling probe, allowing it to greatly increase its one-way cruising range and thus replenish carriers operating further from home ports. It is also able to land on Insŏng-class destroyers and Anchungang-class fast combat support ships to transfer supplies between ships.

For medium-range protection against submarines, the Choe Sŭng-min class carries six Gyundoan-Han GH-28 Ppulsoeori helicopters. Although the newer GH-28GJR model was in production by 2020, from introduction until at least 2024 the Choe Sŭng-min air wing only employed GH-28DJD helicopters. These were pulled from other surface combatants to be replaced with the GH-28GJR, which has more general-purpose utility as a surface combatant's sole helicopter type.

The full carrier air wing for MH-14 Choe Sŭng-min, which made its first debut in 2023, consists of:

• 52× Daesŭngri DS-9MD (single-seat) or DS-9MR (twin-seat) multirole fighter
• 4× Demirkan-Yŏng'an DY-11GJ airborne early warning platform
• 8× Demirkan-Yŏng'an DY-11DJ anti-submarine patrol aircraft
• 2× Gyundoan-Han GH-36HSN cargo helicopter
• 6× Gyundoan-Han GH-28DJD anti-submarine helicopter
• 2× Gyundoan-Han GH-28HJN search-and-rescue helicopter

Like the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng air wing before it, this mix lacks dedicated tankers and electronic warfare aircraft. Instead, other aircraft would be fitted with appropriate payloads for these missions. The DY-11DJ's four external hardpoints can be fitted with drop tanks and buddy refueling pods, making it useful as a tanker, and the twin-seat DS-9MR would typically be fitted out for offensive electronic warfare missions. If the carrier is operating within the South Menghe Sea or near the Strait of Portcullia, land-based tankers and SIGINT aircraft can also be dispatched to support it.

Promotional materials published by the Menghean Navy in September 2022 indicate that other air wing compositions are under consideration for later in the class's life. These include mixed combatant compositions with fifth-generation carrier-based fighters,