Key Points – South Korea has reportedly scrapped its 2021 plan to build a $5 billion, 30,000-ton light aircraft carrier for 20 F-35B stealth fighters.
-Instead, Seoul will pursue a similarly sized “multi-purpose command ship” primarily armed with numerous strike and reconnaissance drones, alongside some helicopters.
South Korean F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-This shift is viewed as sensible, given that a small F-35B carrier offered limited additional capability against North Korea due to South Korea’s robust land-based airpower and would be highly vulnerable.
-However, questions persist whether even a dedicated drone carrier represents a cost-effective priority compared to investing in missile defense or long-range conventional strike assets.
South Korea: The Next Aircraft Carrier Power? Not Exactly
South Korea faces many threats. Across the DMZ is a hostile regime with a huge military armed to the teeth with artillery, tanks, ballistic missiles and even nuclear weapons.
So why exactly would South Korea need an aircraft carrier? The threat from the North is by land and air, not sea.
Yet in 2021, the South Korean government approved a plan to build a 30,000-ton light aircraft carrier equipped with 20 F-35B stealth fighters, at a cost of about $5 billion. But that plan has just been scrapped in favor of a “multi-purpose command ship” armed with dozens of strike and reconnaissance drones, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News.
On the surface, this is a sensible decision. Aircraft carriers are most useful for nations that need to project power in distant regions where land-based airpower isn’t readily available. Hence the attraction of a floating airfield that can support expeditionary forces, protect or interdict sea lanes, or simply show the flag for political reasons.
But South Korea shares the same peninsula as North Korea: Seoul is just 120 miles from Pyongyang. South Korea has one of the most capable air forces in the region, with more than 500 combat aircraft including F-35s, F-15, F-16s and Korean-made FA-50s, plus American warplanes. Southern airbases would be threatened by Northern artillery and missiles, but backed by U.S. aircraft, South Korea can easily strike across the peninsula.
So what would a small flattop – one-third the size and air wing of a U.S. Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier – offer that land-based air wouldn’t? With just 20 F-35Bs, the proposed carrier would have contributed little to an air campaign. The carrier could sail well to the north of the DMZ, closer to key targets such as the Yongbyon nuclear research center 60 miles north of Pyongyang. But this would also entail moving closer to North Korean coastal defenses, including submarines, anti-ship missiles and ballistic missiles.
A carrier might be useful for defending maritime trade, upon which South Korea depends for exports, as well as imports of energy. Yet barring a radical realignment of Pacific politics, South Korea would enjoy naval support from the U.S. and Japan to secure its seaborne commerce. Nor does Seoul have the need or desire at this point to project power in distant locations. Britain has attempted this by building two 65,000-ton aircraft carriers, which lack sufficient aircraft and came at the expense of the UK’s army and air force.
Thus scaling down South Korea’s aircraft carrier into a drone carrier – which would not require the elaborate launch, recovery and logistics of a vessel flying manned aircraft – is logical. “In the multipurpose manned and unmanned force command ship project newly proposed by the Navy, the size of the ship is similar to the existing light aircraft carrier plan, but the aircraft loaded has changed from manned to unmanned,” Yonhap News noted. “Some manned aircraft, such as amphibious helicopters and attack helicopters, will be loaded just like the existing light aircraft carrier plan. The cost of the project is expected to be significantly reduced due to the change in plan.”
But does South Korea really need a drone carrier? Like manned aircraft, drones can operate from land bases. South Korea is vigorously developing a variety of UAVs, including combat drones that can accompany manned aircraft.
Image: Creative Commons. CVX South Korea Aircraft Carrier.
A drone carrier could be useful for several missions, such as reconnaissance in the far northern part of the peninsula, supporting special forces operations, and conducting drone strikes. The problem is that carriers – even drone carriers – are prestige targets. Even in World War II, admirals were loath to sail carriers too close to land and land-based aircraft.
Aircraft Carrier Mistake for ROK Must Be Avoided
No doubt there a drone carrier would provide some utility in a time of war. The question is whether the money and resources are better spent elsewhere, such as on missile defense, or long-range precision strike weapons to target North Korean artillery and WMDs.
A carrier is a luxury that South Korea cannot afford.
About the Author: Michael Peck
Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn
