South Korean Navy Targets Drone Carrier Fleet and Nuclear Submarines
The Navy plans to field a large manned-unmanned carrier system in the early 2040s and begin operating its first nuclear attack submarine by the late 2030s as it expands its response to North Korean threats.
South Korea’s Navy has laid out plans for a new fleet built around unmanned aircraft, artificial intelligence and nuclear-powered submarines, presenting the projects as a response to the evolving nuclear and missile threat from North Korea.
The service disclosed the plans Tuesday during an annual parliamentary audit. Its proposed manned-unmanned teaming battle group would center on a large platform often described as a drone carrier. The Navy has submitted a formal requirement proposal to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is expected to decide by the end of this year whether to approve the acquisition plan.
The Navy aims to place the unmanned carrier system into operational service in the early 2040s. The planned vessel would be about 270 meters long and 70 meters wide, with a displacement of more than 30,000 tons. That would make it larger than an earlier light aircraft carrier concept and more than twice the displacement of the 14,000-ton Dokdo amphibious assault ship, currently the Navy’s largest vessel.
Plans call for the carrier to accommodate more than 20 unmanned systems. The proposed mix includes naval combat drones, reconnaissance aircraft, one-way attack drones, swarm-attack surface vessels and unmanned craft designed for mine warfare. The approach is intended to combine crewed command capabilities with robotic systems that can conduct surveillance and combat missions while reducing direct risk to personnel.
The broader modernization program also includes next-generation KDDX destroyers and intelligence-collection ships, which the Navy intends to build in the early to mid-2030s. It is also seeking ship-to-surface ballistic missiles, long-range loitering munitions and SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors, extending the fleet’s strike, surveillance and missile-defense capabilities.
Separately, the Navy reaffirmed the timeline for its Jang Bogo N nuclear attack submarine program. It plans to launch the first vessel in the mid-2030s and place it into operational service by the late 2030s. The military began the program in May following a South Korea-US summit agreement reached in October last year. Defense officials are reportedly seeking at least three submarines of roughly 8,000 tons within the planned schedule.
The submarines would use high-assay low-enriched uranium enriched to below 20 percent. Unlike nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, nuclear attack submarines are defined by their propulsion and are designed for sustained underwater operations. Seoul’s plan links that endurance and stealth to a stronger ability to monitor and deter regional maritime threats.
Together, the carrier and submarine projects signal a long-term shift toward a more technologically integrated fleet. Both remain multiyear acquisition efforts, however, and the carrier proposal must first pass the Joint Chiefs of Staff review before advancing further.