Najin (class)

History

North Korea's Korean People's Navy has a modest naval force composed of Chinese and Soviet-inspired warships and submarines, as well as some types of local engineering and construction. At least four Nagin-class frigates were built for service, possibly influenced by the old Soviet Kola-class ships of the 1950s. These conventionally powered and armed ships carried sonar and radar, but the cost per ship proved too high for the Soviet Navy to produce more than eight for the class. Following the same form and function of the Soviet design, North Korea's Najin class was built in the 1970s and first entered service sometime in 1973.

Some classes have been retired, while others still in service are undergoing or have undergone modernization programs to maintain their survivability.

These frigates have a displacement of approximately 1,600 tons (short), a length of 328 feet, a beam of 32.8 feet, and a draft of 8.9 feet. Power comes from 2 diesel units outputting 15,000 hp driving 2 axles under the stern. The team is complemented by 180 employees.

Performance estimates suggest a top speed of 26 knots and a range of up to 4,000 nautical miles.

Externally, the design approach for this class is outdated, as stealth features are now evident: the main mast is exposed, there is no helideck aft, and no effort is made to hide the smoke funnel. The warships are dotted with turrets, some of which are open-air structures similar to World War II destroyers. Two smoke funnels lined up near midship.

The bridge superstructure is usually located in the forward part of the ship and the stern of the forecastle, the second superstructure forms the stern part of the warship and leads to the stern. The lack of helicopter facilities severely limits the ability of warships to hunt on the horizon and submarines.

Primary armament consists of 2 x 100mm 56 caliber turrets mounted on a single gun mount. This is supported by dual gun mounted 4 x 57mm automatic cannons. Also included is a set of 30mm autocannons, as well as 25mm autocannons (the latter mounted on dual gun mounts). 2 x RBU-1200 five-tube launchers are mounted in fixed positions on either side of the main deck amidships. The boat offers space for 2 depth charge racks in the stern - another WWII quality.

Up to 30 mines can be carried, allowing the ship to block certain waterways. The ship is also equipped with two launchers for SS-N-2 Styx or SS-n-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, giving the class a slightly more modern long-range combat capability.

Modernization of at least one category has seen some older and more conventional weapons removed and replaced with more advanced systems, including digitally controlled close-in weapons systems (CIWS) and additional rocket launchers. Air search, surface search, navigation, fire control and sonar are all on board this warship, although they are likely not as powerful as the systems used in Western ship designs.

The "antlers" form the bow-mounted sonar system.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

AIR WING