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.

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.