Aegis Combat System Successfully Tested On South Korea Destroyer

The South Korea destroyer Yulgok Yi I (DDG-992), supported by the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin, successfully completed a series of trials for the ship’s Aegis Combat System.

Yulgok Yi I is the second of three Korean Destroyer experimental (KDX-III) program destroyers being built by the Republic of Korea; the ship was commissioned in August 2010. The first KDX-III destroyer, Sejong the Great, deployed in 2009. At 8,500 tons standard displacement and 11,000 tons fully loaded, these destroyers are the largest surface warships carrying the Aegis Combat System.

The at-sea Combat System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT) took place at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The trials are the final tests of system design, hardware and software integration, ship construction and crew training.

During the CSSQT, the ship’s combat system was evaluated for combat readiness through comprehensive multi-mission warfare exercises, as well as thorough testing of the system’s tactical data link capabilities. The anti-air warfare exercises included manned aircraft raids, electronic attack scenarios and live air-defense engagements.

“These trials validate Yulgok Yi I’s Aegis Combat System, ship and crew and their ability to execute Combat System missions,” said Doug Wilhelm, director of international programs at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors business unit. “This ship will be a significant addition to the air defense, anti-submarine, anti-surface and self-defense capabilities of the Republic of Korea Navy. We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with the Republic of Korea Navy through our work on this program.”

The Aegis system includes Lockheed Martin’s SPY-1 radar, the Navy’s most advanced multi-function radar system. When paired with the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, “it is capable of delivering missiles for every mission and threat environment in naval warfare,” according to the company.