The Chamsuri II-class fast attack craft of the Republic of Korea Navy, or shortly ROKN,
is a controversial naval vessel.
For some, it is an innovative approach to modern naval threats, while for others, it
is just the fruit of archaic tactical thought.
As the Weapon Detective, we are now investigating the Chamsuri II class and the merit of these
completely opposite perspectives.
The Chamsuri II class is defined as Patrol-boat Killer Medium Rocket, shortly PKMR, by the
ROKN.
It is a suitable definition since the "patrol boat" term also includes paramilitary missions.
However, South Korea designed this vessel for naval engagements, and the Chamsuri II
class cannot be described as a missile boat since it carries guided rockets, not anti-ship
missiles.
So, it is indeed a killer patrol boat with rockets.
From this perspective, the Chamsuri II class is innovative.
Yet, designing a rocket boat instead of an unmanned surface vessel is an ancient philosophy
for many naval experts.
Before analysing these claims, let's look at the history and the features of the Chamsuri
II class.
The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong paved the way for the creation of the Chamsuri II class.
On June 29, 2002, one North Korean patrol boat crossed nearly 5 kilometres of the Northern
Limit Line, a disputed maritime demarcation line in the Yellow Sea between the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.
Naturally, the ROKN sent the two Chamsuri-class patrol boat killers to intercept it.
Then a second North Koran vessel also crossed the Northern Limit Line.
The situation rapidly escalated and turned into a full-scale naval clash.
The North Koreans unexpectedly opened fire.
The 85mm guns of the North Korean SO-1-class vessels scored a direct hit on the wheelhouse
of PKM-357.
So, the ROKN sent two additional Chamsuri-class patrol boat killers and two Pohang-class corvettes
to the area as reinforcements.
During the engagement, one North Korean vessel was severely damaged.
Now heavily outnumbered and taking casualties, the North Korean retreated across the Northern
Limit Line.
The heavily damaged PKM-357 sank while under tow.
The ROKN initiated a comprehensive study after this battle.
The Chamsuri-class patrol boat killers and the Pohang-class corvettes, which participated
in this engagement, were designed in the late 1970s as part of President Park Chung-hee's
naval shipbuilding programme.
The Chamsuri-class was an all-gun fast attack craft, while the Pohang class was an anti-ship
missile-equipped corvette.
Even though they were updated several times, these vessels were now obsolete.
So, in 2003, the ROKN initiated the Patrol Killer eXperimental, shortly PKX, Programme.
According to this programme, a 500-ton missile ship called PKX-A, which would replace the
Pohang-class corvettes, and a 200-ton patrol boat called PKX-B, which would replace the
Chamsuri-class patrol boat killers, would be built.
The ROKN prioritized the PKX-A vessels, which would become the Yoon Youngha-class.
The first ship of the class, ROKS Yoon Youngha, was launched in 2007.
The PKX-B, which would become the Chamsuri II class, would be used against the North
Korean fast attack crafts and air-cushion vehicles.
Initially, the ROKN considered the 2.75-inch guided rockets on these boats.
But after a careful assessment, it decided that these rockets would be insufficient.
So, Seoul tasked the LIG Nex1 to develop 130mm guided rockets in 2013.
The first Chamsuri II-class patrol boat killer was launched on July 28, 2016, and commissioned
on October 30, 2017.
The ROKN does not give individual names to these boats but only pennant numbers.
Initially, South Korea planned to build 24 Yoon Youngha-class and 16 Chamsuri II-class
vessels.
Later, Seoul cancelled the last six Yoon Youngha-class ships and decided to increase the number of
the Chamsuri II-class patrol boat killers to 34.
Until the end of 2012, all sixteen boats of the first batch Chamsuri II class were launched.
Twelve of them were commissioned.
There is no official declaration for the beginning time of the construction of the second batch.
Unlike the other modern fast attack crafts, the Chamsuri II-class patrol boat killers
do not have a stealthy design.
Thanks to automated systems, including the latest combat management system, it can be
operated by a smaller crew than the previous Chamsuri class, which has a 31-person complement.
It is known that the first boats experienced some engine problems.
Some sources claim that there was a defect in which seawater flowed into the engine due
to design flaws.
Also, others assert that the increased weight of the ship, which also increased the fatigue,
may have cracked the engine's cylinder head.
Despite these claims, there is no official statement about the cause of the problem and
whether it is solved.
The complement of the Chamsuri II-class patrol boat killers is about 20-person.
The vessel has a length of 44 metres, a beam of 7 metres, and a draught of 2.4 metres.
Its displacement is 230 tons.
The combined diesel and gas configuration propulsion system consists of two Caterpillar
C32 diesel engines and two GE LM500 gas turbines.
The top speed of the Chamsuri II class is 41 knots.
The STX RadarSys SPS-100K surface search radar has a range of over 55 kilometres.
It is also used for navigation purposes.
The LIG Nex1 SPS-540K 3D surveillance radar has identification friend or foe and moving
target indicator features.
Its range is nearly 150 kilometres.
The Ku-band Saab CEROS 200 is used for the fire control function of the 76mm gun.
It is effective against both surface and air targets.
The feature, which makes the Chamsuri II-class patrol boat killers innovative, is undoubtedly
the 130mm Bilyong guided rockets.
It is effective in a range of between 3 to 20 kilometres.
This guided rocket uses GPS/INS guidance during the midcourse and finds its target with its
infrared image seeker during the terminal phase.
The Biyong can engage three targets simultaneously.
The rocket has an 8-kilogram warhead.
The Hyundai Wia-made 76mm naval gun has a rate of fire of 100 rounds per minute.
But its magazine contains 80 ready-to-fire ammunition.
The maximum range of the gun is 16,300 metres.
Some of its components, such as the barrel, are the same as on the Oto Melara naval guns.
But, most other subsystems are locally-designed and built, such as the reloading system and
control station, and the hydraulics.
Even though the Chamsuri II class is not a stealthy boat, the carbon composite turret
of the gun has a small radar cross-section.
Unlike the previous patrol boat killers of the ROKN, the 12.7mm K6 machine guns of the
Chamsuri II class are fitted on remote-controlled weapon stations.
So, they can automatically track a target via data from the vessel's radars and electrooptic
sights.
It not only increases accuracy but also improves the gunner's safety.
Equipping a fast attack craft with guided rockets instead of anti-ship missiles is a
highly innovative approach.
This feature makes the Chamsuri II class a tailored naval vessel for a specific mission.
It is designed to deal with small fast attack crafts and air-cushion vehicles.
And the Korean People's Navy has plenty of them.
Since they were created according to the Jeune École doctrine, the current missile boats
generally carry anti-ship missiles with long-range and heavy warheads.
Their primary mission is to attack the major surface combatants and big merchant ships.
But, the ROKN has to deal with countless 50-100 ton boats and vessels of the Korean People's
Navy.
With its 250-kilogram warhead and 180 kilometres range, the SSM-700K Haeseong is unnecessarily
powerful and expensive for the job.
The low-cost 130mm Bilyong guided rocket offers an excellent price/performance ratio for such
missions.
Of course, South Korea is not the only country working to solve this problem.
For example, Thales UK developed the Martlet light missile for the same job.
Currently, the Wildcat HMA2s of the Royal Navy can carry 20 of them against small surface
threats.
Also, the Brits are working on a ship-based variant of the Martlet.
The U.S. Navy attempted to use the anti-ship variants of some anti-tank missiles on the
littoral combat ships.
Besides, Turkey is testing the naval variants of the UMTAS anti-tank missiles and the Cirit
guided rockets on its newly developed unmanned surface vessels.
We should add that many countries have used anti-tank missiles for close-quarter anti-ship
missions for many decades.
So, we may say the South Korean concept is the new trend.
But, there is also a severe objection here.
Many naval experts claim that a manned surface vehicle is an ancient solution for being the
carrier platform of anti-ship-guided rockets.
According to them, the future is in unmanned air and surface vehicles.
It seems that risking a 20-person crew and a 230-ton boat is unnecessary for such missions.
So, why does the ROKN think otherwise?
The definition of "patrol boat killer" may be the best answer to this question.
The tension between North and South Korea is highly similar to the First Cold War.
Protecting its borders against possible North Korean aggression is not the only concern
of South Korea.
A simple incident between these enemy brothers can cause a catastrophic war.
Seoul has to be cautious.
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces should not only deter North Korean border violation
attempts but also prevent a possible crisis from turning into a full-scale war.
For this challenging job, the human factor is essential.
The U.S. unmanned combat aerial vehicle operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria show that the
operators, who sit in front of a screen thousands of kilometres away, cannot asset the situation
correctly.
Many times, they caused dramatic collateral damage and hit the wrong targets.
Lucky for them, these mistakes did not have severe consequences for them and their country.
The South Koreans do not have this luxury.
We can say that the healthiest assessment is still done in the scene, not in front of
a screen.
Patrolling around a possible crisis zone and killing the threat still requires human presence.
The South Korean skippers have to be there to feel the situation and give the best judgement,
which sometimes includes sacrificing themselves in the name of the lesser evil.
Designing a not stealthy boat also indicates this approach.
The Chamsuri II class was not essentially created to go to war but to prevent it.
It says "I'm here, do not dare any further".
Many hot spots in the world require this type of responsibility and naval vessels.
Trusting the judgements of the operators sitting on a screen may cause big catastrophic incidents.
So, according to our analysis, the South Korean choice of using a manned boat as a carrier
platform for the guided rocket is not a result of an archaic tactical thought but a necessity.
Also, many countries need this type of boat to prevent the escalation of the current disputes.
The Chamsuri II-class patrol boat killer is the pioneer of a new naval vessel type, and
we think many countries would follow this new trend.
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