The Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy) commissioned the first vessel in a new class of fast combat support ship (local designation is "military logistics support AOE-Ⅱ") on September 18, 2018 at Busan naval base.
The Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy) commissioned the first vessel in a new class of fast combat support ship (local designation is "military logistics support AOE-Ⅱ") on September 18, 2018 at Busan naval base.
The ceremony was hosted by Commander Jeong Jin-Sup, attended by over 100 officers, including naval commanders, soldiers, Lee Chae-su, Chuncheon Mayor, DAPA, ADD and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
Named "Soyang" (hull number 51), the first AOE-II vessel was launched in November 2016 by HII in Ulsan, following its keel laying on July 13, 2015.
The new vessel is 190m long, 25m wide, has a maximum speed of 24 knots. It can carry 10,105 tons of supplies including oil and ammunition can be loaded. This is 2.3 times compared to the previous class AOE-I, which is capable of loading 4800 tons. "Soyang" is the second largest surface vessel in the ROK Navy fleet following the Dokdo class of LPH.
The Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy) commissioned the first vessel in a new class of fast combat support ship (local designation is "military logistics support AOE-Ⅱ") on September 18, 2018 at Busan naval base.
The ship can accommodate helicopters thanks to its large helicopter deck and hangar. Soyang is fitted with Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS) at the bow and MASS decoy launchers. According to ROK Navy, the survivability of the ship is improved thanks to reinforced fire-fighting system and the double hull design of the vessel.
Soyang features a hybrid propulsion system that can selectively use electric motors or diesel engines. Compared with the previous generation AOE-I, AOE-II is more fuel efficient and has excellent maneuverability, so it can effectively perform operations.
