North Korea's latest generation of warships can hold dozens of vertical launch cells to accommodate missiles. Satellite images have confirmed that this could give the naval force a push to generate an export opportunity. Not much information has been released about these ships that are being built in the Chongjin and Nampo shipyards.
In December, South Korean military announced that it would work towards displacing about 4,000 tons, which is roughly less than half the size of a US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
While speaking to news agency Reuters, researcher Jeffrey Lewis said, "Images captured of the ship in Nampo in the last week of March, however, show cavities on its deck large enough to hold more than 50 missiles, depending on their type."
"They’re pretty big cavities. I would think 32 missiles in front and a few fewer in the back would be a very reasonable number. Or it could be a much smaller number of ballistic missiles," he added.
Meanwhile, Euan Graham, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said, "The new ships' armament seemed to hew close to South Korean navy standards."
"I think we have to take conventional enhancements seriously, because North Korea has limited resources and has invested in nuclear weapons to close the deterrence gap with the Republic of Korea and United States," he added.