With a displacement of 30,000 tons, the new Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) is over twice the size of its predecessors, the 14,500-ton Dokdo-class vessels, and is expected to have significantly more capabilities. For instance, its aviation complement could number 20 STOVL jets (likely to be the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning) on top of other air assets, and this is a step-change from the Dokdos with their dozen helicopters. This development is part of an ambitious five-year naval build-up unveiled in midAugust that includes ballistic missile defence-capable Arleigh Burke type Aegis destroyers and submarines armed for land attack. LPX-II, the official name for the ROK’s new capital ship, marks the first time the republic is pursuing a true aircraft carrier-type platform. What then are the main drivers behind this keystone acquisition?
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