RoKN receives first Geomdoksuri-B Batch-II fast patrol craft
A Batch-I Patrol Killer Medium Rocket (PKMR) boat seen here participating in the RoKN fleet review off Busan in September 2025. The RoKN received its first Batch-II boat on 14 August 2026. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)
South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has handed over the first Geomdoksuri-B (PKX-B) Batch-II fast patrol craft to the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN).
The boat was handed over at HJ Heavy Industries' Yeongdo shipyard in Busan on 14 August, DAPA announced the same day.
The Geomdoksuri-B Batch-II class is a follow-on programme intended to replace the RoKN's ageing Chamsuri-class patrol boats.
The Batch-II programme was launched in 2022 following the completion of the earlier Batch-I programme, which ran from 2017 to 2022.
The first Batch-II vessels were launched in 2025, and the first-of-class subsequently completed sea trials before being transferred to the navy, DAPA said.
The Geomdoksuri-B, also known by the naval designation Patrol Killer Medium Rocket (PKMR), is part of South Korea's broader Patrol Killer Experimental (PKX) programme to replace legacy coastal combatants.
The Batch-I programme provided the RoKN with a fleet of rocket-armed fast patrol craft optimised for operations in littoral waters, particularly near the disputed Northern Limit Line.
The class has an overall length of 44 m, an overall beam of 7 m, and displaces approximately 230 tonnes.
Propelled by waterjets, the vessels can achieve speeds of about 40 kt and are operated by a crew of between 20 and 23 personnel.
Armament includes a 76 mm Hyundai WIA naval gun, a 12-cell 130 mm Biryong guided rocket launcher, and remotely operated 12.7 mm weapon stations.
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