The South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) decided Tuesday to develop an indigenous close-in weapon system (CIWS) for its warships by 2030. The DAPA said the defense project promotion committee approved the 350 billion-won (US$283.51 million) project that will be launched next year. Currently, South Korea uses the U.S. CIWS system. Yonhap reported Tuesday, South Korea plans to begin work on the project next year and aims to complete it by 2030. The new weapon is expected to be mounted on the country’s major naval ships, including its 6,000 ton-class destroyers, which have been built under the Korean Destroyer Next Generation (KDDX) project, and 3,000-ton Batch-III Ulsan-class frigates.
A close-in weapon system (CIWS) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted shipboard in a naval capacity. Nearly all classes of larger modern warships are equipped with some kind of CIWS device. The CIWS is designed to detect and destroy short-range anti-ship missiles and aircraft that have penetrated outer defenses, according to the DAPA. There are two types of CIWS systems; gun-based CIWS and missile-based CIWS. In some cases, CIWS are used on land to protect military bases. In this case, the CIWS can also protect the base from shell and rocket fire.
