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Home » Aviation » South Korea Zeros F-35B CVX Carrier Program in Favor of Funding North Korean Deterrence Strategy


South Korea Zeros F-35B CVX Carrier Program in Favor of Funding North Korean Deterrence Strategy

By: Juho Lee
September 1, 2022 10:38 AM

South Korea’s CVX aircraft carrier program received no funding in the latest budget proposal released this week, a move that puts the future of the programming in serious doubt.

The South Korean government requested about $ 42.4 billion for defense spending next year, a 4.6 percent increase from 2022, in its Aug. 30, defense budget proposal. Of this, about $13.3 billion was allocated to new acquisition programs, with the remaining funds assigned for maintenance and operations.

The 30,000-ton Republic of Korea Navy carrier was planned to field up to 20 short takeoff vertical landing F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters. But in July, the Republic of Korea Air Force purchased the F-35A ground variant, putting the carrier program in doubt, USNI News previously reported.

“The government has allocated significant funds to the defense budget despite its focus on creating a ‘healthy budget’ because of the very serious security situation,” according to a statement from Ministry of National Defense of South Korea

The budget reflects the priorities of the new administration under President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has downplayed the importance of CVX and emphasized that of the so-called “three-axis system” — a defense strategy aimed at deterring North Korea.

The three-axis system envisions a pre-emptive strike against North Korea when a nuclear attack against South Korea seems imminent, followed by the interception of missiles that have already been launched and a massive conventional retaliatory strike against the North Korean military and its top brass. Funding for the system will increase 9.4 percent or around $3.9 billion, according to the proposal.

That translates to a boost in South Korea’s submarine program. The KSS-III ballistic missile submarine program received around $185 million in the 2023 proposal. The boats are a crucial component of the third axis of the three-axis system, dubbed “Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR).”

Submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) from KSS-III are able to hit North Korean bunkers and command control facilities during a conflict with North Korea. In addition to its role in KMPR, the KSS-III submarines are ideal for shadowing the Sinpo-class, North Korea’s SLBM-capable submarines, due to the former’s improved range and endurance. ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho (SS-083), the lead ship of KSS-III Batch I, deployed for the first time earlier this month.

Other notable naval programs in the funding proposal include the Ulsan-class frigate and the anti-submarine warfare unmanned underwater vehicle (ASWUUV), which have been allocated $390 million and $26.5 million in funding, respectively.

The Ulsan-class frigates – which are 129m in length, 15m in width, displace 3,500 tons and have a maximum speed of 30 knots – will be the workhorse of the Republic of Korea Navy in the coming decades. Construction on the first ship began earlier this year in April.

The ASWUUV is a “large displacement umanned underwater vehicle” that is 6.5m long and displaces 9 tons. South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development and Hanwha have been jointly developing the system since 2017, with the first “operational demonstration” taking place in June earlier this year.

A version of this post originally appeared on Naval News. It’s been republished here with permission.

Related

Article Keywords: 2021 In "Aviation" Article Keywords: America-class, LPX-II, North Korea, republic of korea, south korea, Wasp Class
Categories: Aviation, Budget Industry, China, Foreign Forces, News & Analysis, Surface Forces, U.S. Navy
Juho Lee

About Juho Lee

Juho Lee is a writer based in Seoul, South Korea. He served at a U.S. Army intelligence unit as a Korean Augmentee to the U.S. Army. He is currently majoring in International Studies with an interest in North East Asian security and great power competition.

View all posts by Juho Lee →

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