South Korea’s navy has told the National Assembly that its light aircraft carrier program is turning into something quite different: a manned-unmanned teaming carrier of 30,000 tons or more, built mainly around uncrewed aircraft and surface vessels, with fielding targeted for the early 2040s.
The briefing came on 20 October 2026, during the National Defense Committee’s annual audit at Gyeryongdae, with Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Kim Kyung-ryul and the service’s senior commanders present, according to Newspim’s Oh Dong-ryong.
From Light Carrier to Teaming Carrier
The navy submitted the requirement change in October 2025, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are still reviewing it. The revised ship would be bigger than the earlier light-carrier concept and would have an angled deck so it can run aircraft operations more efficiently.
Uncrewed systems would make up the main force: maritime unmanned combat aircraft, surveillance and one-way attack UAVs, and uncrewed surface vessels for swarm attack and mine warfare. The crewed part would be assault-transport and attack helicopters plus high-speed landing craft. The navy also expects the ship to support amphibious and humanitarian operations.
Nuclear Submarine Preparations
The navy set up a temporary Nuclear-Powered Submarine Promotion Group on 1 May. It is working out the navy’s tasks across three phases: program preparation and launch, design and construction, and test and evaluation leading to operational deployment. The stated aim is for the navy to be ready to operate the boat as soon as it enters service.
Private Shipyards and an Aegis First
In September, the 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer Sejong the Great became the first Aegis destroyer to start a depot-level overhaul in a private yard. This follows the 2024 private overhaul and upgrade of the amphibious assault ship Dokdo. The navy says ships are getting more technically complex while military maintenance manpower is shrinking, so it is moving more MRO work to industry. It is also running pilots that use private contractors for ammunition handling and port services at Jinhae.
The audit also covered the rest of the force plan. KDDX destroyers, SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, and long-range maritime one-way attack UAVs are due by the early-to-mid 2030s. A seaborne version of Korea’s three-axis system is meant to counter North Korea’s SLBM submarines and new destroyers. Admiral Kim put it this way: “A crisis on sea routes is a crisis for our economy.”
Why It Matters
The following is analysis, not part of the Newspim report.
Seoul has stopped asking how to get a small carrier to fly crewed jets and is asking how a large deck can host autonomy at scale. In that design the ship’s value comes from the number and variety of uncrewed systems it can launch, recover and network, more than from the aircraft wing it carries. This puts the ROK Navy alongside other navies that see the capital ship of the autonomous era as a hosting and integration platform.
The other two items point the same way. A nuclear submarine office working through the phases to fielding, and private yards now overhauling Aegis destroyers, both show Seoul building the industrial and institutional depth needed to sustain a more ambitious fleet. The test will be whether the Joint Chiefs approve the carrier requirement and whether funding follows it into the 2030s.
Source: Oh Dong-ryong, “[2026 국감] 해군 ‘3만t급 유·무인전력모함 2040년대 초 전력화…핵잠 운용 준비 본격화’,” Newspim, 20 October 2026 (Korean). https://www.newspim.com/news/view/20261020000743