SEOUL, (PNA/Xinhua) — South Korea on Wednesday launched its first amphibious landing ship that was built with indigenous technology.
The 4,500-ton class landing ship, called Cheonwangbong, or the highest peak of a local mountain, took first water at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction in the southern port city of Busan, the company said in a statement.
The first ship of the Navy’s next-generation landing ship tank (LST) was basic-designed by Hanjin and started to be built in 2011. The Navy planned to deploy three other LSTs by 2018.
The vessel, which can transport troops and tanks, is 126 meters long and 19 meters wide, with a maximum speed of 23 knots, around 5 knots faster than its predecessors.
Loading capacity was improved. It can accommodate 120 crew members and 300 armed forces along with three landing craft mechanized (LCM), amphibious assault vehicles (AAV), tanks and guns.