Pyŏng'an-class destroyer
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The Pyŏng'an-class destroyers are a group of four guided missile destroyers built for the Menghean Navy. It is armed with the Letnian S-300FM long-range surface-to-air missile, giving it a much longer surface-to-air engagement range than any previous Menghean destroyer. This made it the first Menghean warship class to use a vertical launching system for its missiles, albeit in an inefficient revolver-type cold launch configuration. Later, in 2001, Menghe obtained a license to produce the Mark 41 VLS, making the Pyŏng'ans the first and last Menghean warship class to carry the YDG-39.
Development
Area Air Defense Ship program
During the 1980s and 1990s, Menghe's main air defense ship was the Yobu-class destroyer (along with its Hyŏngnam subclass). These ships were armed with the YDG-32 surface-to-air missile, a licensed derivative of the S-125 Neva/Pechora. In its upgraded 1990s model, this missile had a range of 40 kilometers, relatively short compared with more modern systems elsewhere. These ships also carried their YDG-32s on twin-arm mounts, limiting their rate of fire, and had only 16 missiles per magazine for a total of 32. Given that many Menghean warship classes carried either no radar-guided SAMs (Nunbora, Mugunghwa, Ginam) or relatively ineffective ones (Chŏndong), this was seen as a serious problem.
In response, the Menghean Navy launched a design competition for an Area Air Defense Ship specialized in protecting surface ships against aerial attack. Anti-submarine capabilities were added to the requirements list as well. The new ships would be given the hull type juryŏk howiham (주력 호위함 / 主力護衛艦), or "main force escort ship," to contrast them with the Yobu and Hyŏngnam-class escort ships and the Ansa-class outer escorts (wichung howiham). These main force escort ships would accompany the aircraft carrier Haebang and escort surface action groups composed of anti-shipping destroyers or anti-submarine warships.
Competition with Plan 351
Construction
Description (as built)
Mid-life refits
Service
Ships in the class
See also
- Plan 351 "Yerihan," a competing design for Menghe's next-generation air defense ship