The CVX (formerly known as LPX-II,

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

: 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 hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

s proposed for the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ), also known as the ROK Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and Amphibious warfare, amphibious operations. The South ...

. 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 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. The Korean presidential administration that entered power in 2022 is not supportive of the CVX project, and it was not funded in the 2023 and 2024 defense budgets.

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 class of diesel–electric powertrain, diesel–electric submarines developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW). It features diesel propulsion with an air-independen ...

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

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

) 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, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...

currently operates the carriers ''

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

'' (Type 001) and ''

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

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

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern 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 capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

'' (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 was intended begin in 2022 and end in 2030. 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 Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd. (), formerly known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (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 ...

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

Yoon Suk Yeol Yoon Suk Yeol (; born 18 December 1960) is a South Korean politician and former prosecutor who served as the 13th president of South Korea from 2022 until Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, he was removed from office in 2025. The shortest-serving ...

, who was elected in 2022, is sceptical of the CVX project. The project received no funding in the Korean defence budgets for 2023 and 2024. While it is included in the Mid-term Defense Blueprint covering the period 2024-2028 that was released in December 2023, this document notes that it will be subject to the results of further research.

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-2 ...

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 on 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 helicopters ...

will be of an axial design rather than using a ski-jump (used by other F-35B jet aircraft operators except for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

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

islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water, and by other classifications. For rank-order lists, see the #Other lists of islands, other lists of islands below. Lists of islands by count ...

. 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 naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. 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 (BMD). The same system will be used about the next generation KDDX-class destroyer

Aviation

The CVX would 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 hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the capital ship of a fl ...

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 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

stated 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. In September 2022 the Korean Ministry of National Defence announced that 20 additional F-35As would be purchased for the ROKAF in place of the previously intended purchase of F-35Bs that were to have operated from the CVX. At this time Korea Aerospace Industries was offering to develop a navalised version of the KAI KF-21 Boramae to operate from the CVX.

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:CVX 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