South Korea Develops Vertical Launch Tubes for Submarines

South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has developed a vertical launching system (VLS) to be installed on heavy attack submarines that will be deployed after 2018.

The submarine VLS has been developed in cooperation with the Agency for Defence Development (ADD) after the development of the ship-launched Cheonryong missile.

Cheonryong is a modified variant of the surface-to-surface Hyunmoo III-A ballistic missile and has a range of 500km.

The South Korean Navy currently operates nine Type-209s and three Type-214 diesel and electric-powered submarines, according to Defense News.