South Korea Abandons Aircraft Carrier Project and Backs Drone Ship to Modernize Navy

Written by Andriely Medeiros de Araújo

Published on 14/05/2025 at 17:22

Updated on 14/05/2025 at 17:23

A Marinha da Coreia do Sul abandona porta-aviões e aposta na construção de navio com drones para modernizar sua frota e reduzir custos operacionais. Fonte: Poder Naval.

Be the first to react!

South Korean Navy Abandons Aircraft Carrier And Invests In Drone Ship To Modernize Its Fleet And Reduce Operational Costs.

The South Korean Navy has decided to deeply reform its naval strategy by setting aside the plan to build a light aircraft carrier with embarked fighters. Instead, the focus will be on the construction of a new type of warship: a vessel with advanced technology aimed at operations with both manned and unmanned aerial drones.

The decision, presented in May 2025 to the Defense Committee of the National Assembly, marks a significant shift in the country’s defense policy, emphasizing technological autonomy, cost reduction, and the expansion of operational capacity in the face of regional threats.

Ship Will Be Equipped With Drones Instead Of F-35B Fighter Jets

The new ship model — still in the conceptual design phase — will have dimensions similar to those planned for the light aircraft carrier: approximately 260 meters long and 30,000 tons of displacement. The main difference lies in the type of armament and equipment onboard.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Strategic Decision Prioritizes Cost-Benefit And Military Innovation

The construction of an aircraft carrier with 20 F-35B fighter jets would require around 7 trillion won — equivalent to over US$ 5 billion.

Each aircraft would have a unit cost between US$ 120 and US$ 160 million, not including expenses for modifications to the ship’s structure.

By adopting drones developed by the domestic industry, the South Korean Navy aims to:

Reduce Operational And Logistical Costs
Increase The Flexibility Of Naval Missions
Minimize Risks To Human Crews
Stimulate The Country’s Defense Technology Sector

Moreover, the transition to a more autonomous platform reflects lessons learned from recent conflicts, where unmanned vehicles demonstrated significant strategic impact on the battlefield.

Multifunctional Amphibious Assault Ship II

Study Is In The Hands Of Hyundai Heavy Industries

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has been contracted to develop the technical concept for the new ship. The study will be submitted to the Joint Chiefs of Staff later this month.

However, any definitive change depends on the formal review of operational requirements — something that is only expected to happen after the transition of the current government.

South Korea Aims For Leadership Position In Automated Naval Warfare

The reformulation of the naval project is not just a response to economic factors. It is also part of a context of increasing tension in East Asia, with China’s military strengthening and North Korea’s ongoing challenge.

By prioritizing platforms with intensive use of embedded technology, the South Korean Navy signals its intention to:

Strengthen Military Deterrence With Less External Dependence
Operate More Efficiently In Hostile Environments
Integrate Autonomous Systems In Long-Range Missions

If the plan advances, South Korea may become one of the first nations in the world to commission a warship developed from the ground up to operate drones on a large scale — a move that could shape the future of naval forces worldwide.

Source: Naval Power

South Korea Abandons Aircraft Carrier Project and Backs Drone Ship to Modernize Navy

South Korean Navy Abandons Aircraft Carrier And Invests In Drone Ship To Modernize Its Fleet And Reduce Operational Costs.

Ship Will Be Equipped With Drones Instead Of F-35B Fighter Jets

Strategic Decision Prioritizes Cost-Benefit And Military Innovation

Study Is In The Hands Of Hyundai Heavy Industries

South Korea Aims For Leadership Position In Automated Naval Warfare

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

Few know, but India has a 36 km wall that surrounds a fort in the mountains and is considered the second largest in the world, behind the Great Wall of China.

Hyundai Creta 2029 appears in new spy shots with a completely revamped design, a more modern digital interior, a larger multimedia center, a more comfortable passenger seat, and electrification finally on the radar.

Former CIA analyst warns that China has already surpassed the US in missiles, electronic warfare, cyber, and military production, transforming the Pacific into a zone without safe spaces while Washington clings to its submarine advantage.

Home-built airplane by a Minas Gerais engineer uses car parts, such as a power window motor for the flaps and a tachometer on the dashboard. The project took six years, and the aircraft has autonomy to fly up to seven hours non-stop.

South Korea Abandons Aircraft Carrier Project and Backs Drone Ship to Modernize Navy

South Korean Navy Abandons Aircraft Carrier And Invests In Drone Ship To Modernize Its Fleet And Reduce Operational Costs.

Ship Will Be Equipped With Drones Instead Of F-35B Fighter Jets

Strategic Decision Prioritizes Cost-Benefit And Military Innovation

Study Is In The Hands Of Hyundai Heavy Industries

South Korea Aims For Leadership Position In Automated Naval Warfare

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

MO26 starts producing 180,000 barrels/day in the Brazilian pre-salt and Mero becomes Petrobras’ third largest oil field with 770,000 bbl/day.

Russia is building the world’s most powerful nuclear icebreaker with 150 MW and 2 reactors while the US has not delivered a new heavy one since 1999.

Styrofoam block cut with hot wire turned into a real boat with three layers of fiberglass and polyester resin, floats without rotting or rusting, carries up to five people, and uses a professional shipyard sandwich technique for less than R$ 500 per square meter.

Portonave is investing R$ 2 billion to modernize the Port of Navegantes and accommodate ships up to 400 meters, but the project depends on the federal government deepening the channel from 14 to 17 meters, a concession that is at the TCU.

Few know, but India has a 36 km wall that surrounds a fort in the mountains and is considered the second largest in the world, behind the Great Wall of China.

Hyundai Creta 2029 appears in new spy shots with a completely revamped design, a more modern digital interior, a larger multimedia center, a more comfortable passenger seat, and electrification finally on the radar.

Former CIA analyst warns that China has already surpassed the US in missiles, electronic warfare, cyber, and military production, transforming the Pacific into a zone without safe spaces while Washington clings to its submarine advantage.

Home-built airplane by a Minas Gerais engineer uses car parts, such as a power window motor for the flaps and a tachometer on the dashboard. The project took six years, and the aircraft has autonomy to fly up to seven hours non-stop.