Salsu-class guided-missile cruiser

	KHMS Salsu
Class overview
Name:	Salsu class
Builders:	Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.,Ltd.
Operators:	Joseon
Preceded by:	Guiju-class
Succeeded by:	Myeongnyang-class
Cost:	$1 Billion
Built:	1999-2009
In commission:	2001–present
Planned:	12
Completed:	10
Cancelled:	2
Active:	10
Lost:	0
General characteristics
Type:	Guided-missile cruiser
Displacement:	9,800 t full load
Length:	173 m
Beam:	16.8 m
Draft:	10.2 m
Propulsion:	4 × COGAG; 2 × shafts; 86,000 shp (64,000 kW) produced power;
Speed:	32.5 knots (60 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Range:	6,000 nmi (11,000 km)
Sensors and ; processing systems:	AN/SPY-1B multi-function radar; AN/SPS-49 air search radar; AN/SPG-62 fire control radar; AN/SPS-73 surface search radar; AN/SPQ-9 gun fire control radar; AN/SQQ-89(V)1/3 - A(V)15 Sonar suite; SAQ-540K Electro-optical targeting system(EOTS) (After 2011); SAQ-600K Infrared search and track(IRST) (After 2011);
Electronic warfare ; & decoys:	LIG Nex1 SLQ-200K Sonata electronic warfare suite
Armament:	2 × 5-inch (127 mm)/L62 caliber Mk 45 Mod 2 naval gun; 2 × 20mm Block 1B Phalanx CIWS; 2 × 25mm remote-control weapon system; 2 × mounts for K6 .50 caliber machine guns; 8 × NGAM Anti-Ship missiles; 2 × triple torpedo tubes ; 128 cells × Mk 41 VLS;
Aircraft carried:	2 × Anti-Submarine helicopters

The Salsu-class guided-missile cruiser is a cruiser operated by Royal Joseon Navy. It was constructed from 1999 to 2009, 10 of which are still active. Salsu-class is also the Royal Joseon Navy's first Mabangjin system-equipped vessel.

The Salsu-class cruiser was designed and constructed to counter Svetvostok's naval modernization plans and the construction of large air defense combat ships.

History

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Svetvostok intensively reinforced its outdated naval capabilities and enhanced its operational capabilities in the distant oceans. The Kanin-class destroyer and the Lim Se-Kyung class cruiser were built as part of these initiatives and greatly enhanced Svetvostok's naval capabilities. With conflicts with Svetvostok existing due to historical and territorial issues, Joseon considered it a dangerous situation for Svetvostok to close the naval power gap with Joseon. In response, Joseon designed new ships and initiated a modernization project to strengthen the quality of naval power.

However, the naval modernization project took time, and Svetvostok built a series of new large ships. This raised the need for urgent shipbuilding to fill the void in the ongoing naval modernization project. At the time, the Mabangjin system was completed and its performance was verified, so the Navy and Agency for Defense Development(ADD) designed a gap-filler cruiser using the hull of the Yang-Gyu class destroyer they were using.

Salsu-class contributed significantly to Joseon's naval power as the only Mabangjin system-equipped ship owned by the Royal Joseon Navy until the advent of Sejong the Great-class destroyer. However, because Salsu-class kept the Yang-Gyu class design intact, it also brought about the chronic problem of instability in the hull balance.

Description

KHMS Madosan launches missiles.

Salsu-class modeled after the Yang-Gyu class in almost every way. Salsu-class has the capability to sail in any sea, and it has the capability to perform multiple operations in all kinds of seas. However, some ships navigating through rough seas have reported superstructure cracks due to the weight of the superstructure. The Navy is addressing this issue by regularly inspecting and repairing the superstructure.

Salsu-class is the first Aegis system-equipped ship owned by the Royal Joseon Navy, with strong air defense capabilities and ballistic missile defense capabilities. Using AN/APY-1B radar, Salsu-class can track 900 targets simultaneously, and engage with 20 of them simultaneously.

Salsu-class operates various types of missiles, equipped with a total of 128 Mk.41 VLS cells. Since the Mk.41 VLS of the Yang-Gyu class has 2 reloading cranes that take up space for a total of 6 VLS cells, But Salsu-class does not have reload cranes and instead has 6 additional VLS cells to operate more weapons.