South Korea to refit KDX-II destroyers with local combat management system

South Korea has announced plans to refit its Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (KDX-II)-class guided-missile destroyers with a locally developed combat management system (CMS) as part of the vessels' modernisation programme.

In a statement released on 15 January, the country's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) revealed that these warships will be upgraded to enhance their ability to protect the country's sea lines of communication.

The Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) operates a fleet of six KDX-II destroyers and the warships were commissioned between 2003 and 2008.

All six vessels are equipped with a CMS that has been supplied by a Samsung-BAeSEMA collaboration. BAeSEMA is in turn a British-French technology joint venture that has since been dissolved. This CMS incorporates elements derived from the Thales TACTICOS system.

To develop the system, DAPA held a meeting with South Korean defence systems company Hanwha, the former disclosed in its statement on 15 January.

In addition to its CMS, South Korea is seeking to upgrade the class's sonar and fire-control systems.

Details on these were not provided by DAPA in its statement but the country is known to have made a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) request to the United States for modified MK 99 fire-control system (FCS) cabinets.

This FMS request has been approved by Washington and this approval was announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in December 2024.

For more information, please see Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (KDX-II) class (DDGHM).