The ROK Navy required a versatile landing ship with amphibious capabilities in its program to build a blue-water navy. In the end Hanjin's Dokdo design was chosen for this need. Solgae-class LCAC-also built by HHIC, was chosen as the LCAC to operate from the ship.
Specifications
The LPX is a versatile amphibious warfare ship which includes a well deck to accommodate Amphibious Assault Vehicles and two Landing Craft Air Cushion, the first of which was acquired in April 2007. The ship is long, wide, with a 14,000 ton, or 18,000 ton displacement and was also built incorporating stealth technologies. It has been said to be one of the most advanced vessels in the Asian Pacific. As a high-speed amphibious ship, LPX was based on the concept of "over-the-horizon assault." As the name indicates, the "over-the-horizon assault" comprises a military operation in which an amphibious landing is conducted with high-speed air-cushioned vehicles and helicopters from beyond the horizon, where they cannot be easily detected or attacked by the enemy. The conventional LST has to approach the coastline for landing, at the risk of being fired upon by the enemy. The LPX can carry 720 marines, 10 tanks, 10 trucks, 7 AAVs, three field artillery pieces, and two LCAC hovercraft capable of landing on enemy shores doing —a mix that enables it to launch troop landings from both sea and air. She can also carry 10 helicopters when there are no ground vehicles on her hangar deck. The flight surface is also sprayed with urethane, which can support VTOL jets, like Harriers. South Korea is considering the purchase of F-35B fighters to operate from its Dokdo-class ships. Currently, the LPX operates mainly UH-1H and UH-60P. However, both of these are designed for land‐based operations and lack abilities for ship-borne operations such as protection against damage from salty breezes making them difficult to operate on-board continuously. The KUH-Amphibious, the sea-based amphibious variant of the KAI Surion, is now under development. Production is planned to commence in late 2015 with some 40 helicopters planned. Self-defense armament includes the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile system. The GoalkeeperClose-in weapon system was purchased in January 2003 from Thales, at a per-set price of 13,000,000,000 won. The second ship of the class, Marado, was built with some changes compared to Dokdo. The flight deck is adapted to accommodate two V-22 Ospreys, while Dokdo was able to only carry one. In place of the Thales SMART-L multibeam radar and MW08 surveillance radar, Marado uses the Elta SystemsEL/M-2248 MF-STAR multifunction surveillance radar and LIG Nex1SPS-550K 3-D air and surface surveillance radar. It also has a different weapons suite than the 30 mm Goalkeeper and RAM, instead using two 20 mm Phalanx CIWS and having a K-VLS at the rear of the superstructure for the locally developed K-SAAM. Dokdo is similar in size to the light aircraft carriers derived from the Sea Control Ship such as the Spanish Navy's former aircraft carrier and the Royal Thai Navy's.
Ships in the class
Plans
Some proposed uses for the ship include UN peacekeeping operations and disaster relief. For this reason, the LP-X is expected to usher in a new era of expanded South Korean naval activity, since it can be used for relief, transport, and other peacetime activities. Korean news agency Yonhap reported in December 2017 that the Korean military was considering operating F-35B aircraft from the Dokdo-class amphibious assault ships.
In a speech delivered in March 2001, Kim Dae Jung stated that his administration was aiming to build a navy that "will defend the national interests in the five oceans and perform a role in defending world peace." By the year 2020, the ROK Navy plans to deploy two or three rapid response fleets, each comprising 1 Dokdo-class, 2 Sejong the Great-class, 4 Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class, 1 Gwanggaeto the Great-class, and possibly a number of s and two or three Type 214 submarine. ROK Navy's Rapid Response Fleet:
