South Korea and Its F-35 Enabled Light Carrier
In this report, we bring together our recent pieces in the defense decision section on South Korea’s decision to build an F-35 enabled light carrier.
The South Koreans are building their large deck amphibious ships for prestiges reasons; They have built it to provide for new options to deal with the North Korean threat; they are building it because the United States is no longer a reliable partner.
Although the announcement of building a larger amphibious ship was news, the acquisition of F-35B is not so surprising. There is a growing set of nations in the Pacific who have grasped the point that the F-35B provides deployment options crucial in facing an enemy with enhanced strike capability against fixed targets.
But that point deserves further treatment as well.
And the question of how to shape a task force which would operate with such a ship is a significant one as well.
The report in PDF format can be read below:
South Korean Light CarrierTo read the report in e-book form, see below:
The featured graphic: Circulating renderings of a light aircraft carrier. (Picture source: South Korea Defence acquisition program administration)