On Monday, the South Korean Navy commissioned its second Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship, the ROKS Marado (LPH-6112).
The 199-meter-long, 31-meter-wide Landing Platform Helicopter was commissioned on the 28th of June 2021 and is based at the Jinhae Naval Base.
ROKS Marado was originally planned to enter service 2010. But due to the economic crisis of 2008, the second ship of the Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship was canceled. In 2012 the budget was restored after the rise of tensions in the region. The second Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship was commissioned 14 years after her sister’s ship.
According to Xavier Vavasseur from Navalnews.com, Marado has a light displacement of 14,800 tons (19,000 tons full load displacement). The ship has a crew complement of 330 sailors and is capable of carrying 720 marines, 6 MBTs, 7 KAAVs, 2 LCACs, and 7 to 12 helicopters such as the MUH-1s and recently selected MAH helicopters.
It is armed with 4 KVLS cells that launch a total of 16 K-SAAM (surface-to-air missiles) Sea Bow, and 2 Phalanx Block 1Bs close-in weapon systems (CIWS). It also features K-Dagaie NG decoy launching systems with new generation decoys (SEALEM and SEALIR) by Lacroix.