The CVX (formerly known as LPX-II,

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...

: 대형수송함-II) is a class of

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s currently under development for the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy inc ...

. The class is follow-on from the previous s which prioritized amphibious capability while the CVX will be designed for fixed wing and

rotary wing A rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotary wings or rotor blades, which generate lift by rotating around a vertical mast. Several rotor blades mounted on a single mast are referred to as a rotor. The Inte ...

operations instead, constituting a traditional aircraft carrier. The planned development of the class was formally announced and funded as part of the 2020~2024 Mid-Term Defense Plan (국방중기계획), published in December 2020.

Background

The introduction of the CVX into service is a continuation of the development of a blue water navy by the

, a process begun in 2001. Thus far the program has consisted of the s, the (KDX-III), , and destroyers, the s and

Type 214 submarine The Type 214 is a diesel-electric submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW). It features diesel propulsion with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system using Siemens polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cell ...

s. The development of the blue water navy reflects the geopolitical circumstances which the Republic of Korea faces. At present, its two closest neighbors (

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

) are in the process of developing full

capability for their respective navies. The Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) operates the helicopter carriers and multi-purpose operation destroyers (''de facto'' aircraft carriers) while the

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chines ...

currently operates the carriers ''

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmo ...

'' (Type 001) and ''

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

'' (Type 002) and plans to commission the ''

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...

'' (Type 003) in 2023.

Development

In late 2020, design and acquisition work on the CVX class was sped up in the hope of countering naval expansions in South Korea's neighbors. This move is expected to bring forward the aircraft carrier's future in-service date by one year, and will require a hastened procurement process for the F-35B fighter jets that the warship will carry. , work on the CVX will begin in 2022 and end in 2033. On the occasion of the MADEX trade fair in South Korea in June 2021, the Italian

Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

signed a contract with

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd ( ko, 대우조선해양; abbreviated DSME) is one of the "Big Three" shipbuilders of South Korea, along with Hyundai and Samsung. History On 21 February 2011, the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group (M ...

(DSME) for assistance in the design of the CVX. The South Koreans were seeking the support of an industrialist with experience in this field.

Specifications

Unlike the preceding ''Dokdo'' class, the CVX will not feature a

well deck In traditional nautical use, well decks were decks lower than decks fore and aft, usually at the main deck level, so that breaks appear in the main deck profile, as opposed to a flush deck profile. The term goes back to the days of sail. Late-20 ...

for amphibious assault craft. Instead, internal space will be dedicated to aircraft storage and maintenance. The

flight deck The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopte ...

will be of an axial design rather than using a

ski-jump Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

(used by other F-35B jet aircraft operators except for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

). The CVX will be one of the few aircraft carriers in the world to feature two

islands An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

. The UK defense corporation

Babcock International Babcock International Group plc is a British aerospace, defence and nuclear engineering services company based in London, England. It specialises in managing complex assets and infrastructure. Although the company has civil contracts, its main b ...

has been providing support to the CVX program and is a possible explanation for the twin-island design as Babcock led the development of the aircraft carrier program for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

. The Republic of Korea government has stated that the sensor and weapons fit for the CVX will be developed domestically and the ship will feature a multi-function radar (MFR) for

ballistic missile defence An anti-ballistic missile (ABM) is a surface-to-air missile designed to counter ballistic missiles (missile defense). Ballistic missiles are used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological, or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajec ...

(BMD). The same system will be used about the next generation destroyer for the Republic of Korea Navy (KDDX).

Aviation

The CVX will be the first class of

aircraft carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a n ...

in the Republic of Korea Navy, in contrast to the Dokdo class of amphibious assault ships which have features such as a

to accommodate amphibious assault vehicles. The ship will make use of an axial flight deck similar to those used by the , and amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy. The Ministry of National Defense confirmed in August 2020 that twenty F-35Bs would be procured for the CVX. In terms of rotary wing aviation, the ship will accommodate the future Marine Attack Helicopters (based on MUH-1 Marineon) of the

ROK Marine Corps The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC; ko, 대한민국 해병대, Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae), also known as the ROK Marine Corps or ROK Marines, is the marine corps of South Korea. The ROKMC is a branch of the Republic of Korea Navy resp ...

References

External links

navalnews.com, South Korea officially starts LPX-II aircraft carrier program

US Naval Institute, LPX-II

Shepherd Media, South Korea reveals imagery of LPX-II carrier

The Diplomat, Republic of Korea Navy

Republic of Korea Navy Homepage

Maritime Executive, South Korea is developing its first aircraft carrier

Popular Mechanics, South Korea Is Packing Its First Aircraft Carrier with F-35s

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dokdo Class Amphibious Assault Ship Helicopter carrier classes Amphibious warfare vessel classes Amphibious warfare vessels of the Republic of Korea Navy Dokdo class landing platform experimental ships Dokdo class landing platform experimental ships Proposed ships