Will the Light Aircraft Carrier Project Be Relaunched? [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Navy Chief Yang Yong-mo Mentions Possibility of Using Drones on Light Aircraft Carriers at National Assembly Audit

Chief of Naval Operations Yang Yong-mo stated regarding the introduction of light aircraft carriers, a key project pursued during the Moon Jae-in administration to prepare for maritime expansion by neighboring countries, "Since the effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicles has been proven, we need to also consider how to utilize UAVs on (light aircraft carriers)."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 18th, at the National Assembly Defense Committee’s audit of the Naval Headquarters held at Gyeryongdae, Yang responded to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Kyu-baek asking, "Is the introduction of light aircraft carriers still being pursued?" by saying, "A defense policy study is underway, and we will proceed based on its results."

This implies that if the introduction of light aircraft carriers is decided, the vessels will likely be constructed to operate not only manned carrier-based aircraft but also attack or reconnaissance UAVs.

Meanwhile, the introduction of light aircraft carriers was abruptly announced in August 2020 during the Moon Jae-in administration. At that time, the Ministry of National Defense released the ‘2021?2025 Defense Mid-term Plan’ and publicly disclosed the light aircraft carrier acquisition project for the first time. The plan was to invest approximately 2.6 trillion won by 2033 to design and build a 30,000-ton class light aircraft carrier domestically through research and development.

The pursuit of a ‘light aircraft carrier’ is interpreted as an expression of intent to reduce size and displacement compared to typical regular aircraft carriers to cut costs, while equipping it with advanced combat capabilities for efficient operation.

However, three years later, in December 2023 under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the Ministry of National Defense’s ‘2024?2028 Defense Mid-term Plan’ cut all budget proposals for the light aircraft carrier project. No budget was allocated for the project in the mid-term plan. Nonetheless, a proviso was added stating that the project direction will be decided through further discussions based on the results of the ongoing research study.