The
North Korean Najin-class frigates are some of the largest vessels in the
Korean People's Navy. Although they bear a striking resemblance to ex-
Soviet s, they are unrelated to any Russian or Chinese design.
The class was originally fitted with a trainable triple torpedo launcher, which was replaced in the mid-1980s with fixed
Styx missile launchers taken from s. The design is inherently dangerous, and even a minor missile failure would result in significant damage to the ship.
In 2023, two or more of these frigates remain active with North Korea's navy a full half-century after they were commissioned. An estimated two or more have been retired, though what has been done with them since then is unknown.
Upgrades
At least one Najin-class ship appears to have been upgraded with much more modern weaponry in 2014. Refitted at
Namp'o
Nampo (North Korean official spelling: Nampho; ), also spelled Namp'o, is the second largest city by population and an important seaport in North Korea, which lies on the northern shore of the Taedong River, 15 km east of the river's mouth. ...
, the outdated anti-ship missiles, aft dual cannon, Drum Tilt fire-control radar and surface search radar were removed, and several new systems were installed. Most clearly identifiable are two automated
turrets
Turret may refer to:
* Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building
* Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon
* Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope
* M ...
at the aft, likely based on the Soviet AK-630
CIWS, and two
Kh-35 missile racks with the capacity for about eight missiles in place of the older Styx/HY-2 launchers. The modernization program appears to be continuing as of December 2014.
References
{{reflist
Frigates of the Korean People's Navy
Frigate classes