And China's arms race? South Korea volunteers to help the US build ships: 5 Burke-class destroyers per year.

The US is troubled by China's rapid shipbuilding, and South Korea takes the initiative to offer, saying that they can build 5 Burke-class destroyers per year.

This statement comes from Hyundai Heavy Industries, which once completed the manufacturing of a 10,000-ton Jangsu-class guided-missile destroyer in 10 months.

This 10,000-ton Jangsu-class destroyer not only lacks a stealth integrated mast but also uses mechanical-scanning radar for its Aegis system. Its vertical launch cells are excessive and incompatible. South Korea dares to call it the largest destroyer in Asia, and the South Korean people believe it can easily destroy our Type 055 destroyers.

Hyundai Heavy Industries wants to expand its warship production capacity, so it thinks of cooperating with the US. It stated that the shipyard is currently building 12 surface combatants for domestic and foreign clients, including ships for the Philippines and Peru. Just by utilizing the remaining dry docks, one ship per year can be built for the US Navy. If supported by the US, building 5 per year would not be a problem.

As one of the global shipbuilding giants, Hyundai Heavy Industries has the confidence to make such statements. However, civilian ships and warships are two different product lines. Even the US itself failed with its attempt to convert civilian ships into military ones, like the Mobile Landing Platform ships. Whether Hyundai has the capability to expand its warship production line remains questionable.

The Jangsu-class destroyer built by Hyundai itself, apart from the hull being its own design, mainly relies on imported propulsion systems, onboard armaments, sonars, fire-control radars, and helicopters. South Korea merely builds a hull and integrates various "international" equipment together.

If Hyundai were to build Burke-class destroyers for the US, although still acting as an integrator, the hull costs are the cheapest part, while the equipment and weapons inside are expensive. The cost does not decrease significantly. Of course, though the price doesn't go down, the speed has improved, which isn't bad either.

The problem is, if all orders were given to South Korea, the US shipyards, which already rely on military orders to survive, would effectively be cut off. This is a red line for the US defense industry. Although the US shipbuilding industry is aging, with only four shipyards, it may be slow, but at least it can maintain self-research and self-production of warships, submarines, and aircraft carriers. If orders shift abroad, restarting the shipbuilding industry in the future would be impossible.

Moreover, the Burke-class has many core technologies that the US is concerned about regarding potential technology leakage. Although the Constellation-class frigates are outsourced to Italy, their manufacturing still takes place in the US.

Additionally, South Korea is too close to China. In case of a conflict between the US and China, the US operational potential would be directly paralyzed.

In fact, among the US allies, there are no shortages of warship production lines. The UK, France, Italy, and Germany, if integrated, would certainly surpass China in shipbuilding speed. However, the US is worried about technology leaks and the loss of profits for its defense industry.

If the US really asks South Korea to build Burkes, it might as well ask China. With a $3 billion budget, China could probably build you at least two, cheaper, more in quantity, and better value for money.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828941069891723/

Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author alone.