The new vessels named Chamsuri-216 (참수리-216) to 219 will join the ” the first line of coastal defense” according to DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration ). They are joining four existing vessel of the class.
“The new high-speed craft will serve as a vanguard to protect the territorial waters of the Republic of Korea, carrying out coastal surveillance and defensive missions in the future waters,”
Yoo Ho-geun, commander of Chamsuri-216
HHIC was selected to build the first of class ship in 2014, followed by three additional follow-on ships in 2016, and four more ships in 2017 and 2018. HHIC won a follow on contract in November 2019 for four more vessels with a delivery set for 2022. That brings the total PKX-B for the ROK Navy to 12.
PKX-B Chamsuri II-class
This 300-ton, high-speed patrol ships replacing the RoK Navy’s Chamsuri-class patrol vessels. The PKX-B, also known as the Chamsuri II-class, is armed with 130mm guided rockets, a 76mm naval gun, K-6 remotely controlled weapon system (RCWS) and a Korean combat system. It is fitted with decoy launchers.
The vessel class, also known as PKMR for Patrol-boat Killer Medium Rocket, is the first to be fitted with the LIG Nex1/Hanwha 130mm guided rocket launcher at the stern. The system was specifically design to counter swarming attacks of DPRK Navy (North Korea) fast attack crafts and hovercrafts. The launcher has 12 canisters each containing a single 130mm guided rocket. The rocket has a range of over 20 Km and minimum range of 3 Km. The rocket weighs over 80 Kg (including the 8Kg warhead). The mid course guidance of the rocket is GPS + INS + data uplink and the terminal guidance is IIR homing. The system fitted aboard the PKX-B can engage over 3 targets simultaneously according to LIG Nex1.
