Arleigh Burke vs Sejong the Great
Arleigh Burke vs Sejong the Great at a glance — displacement 9,900 vs 10,000 tons, length 155 vs 166 m, speed 31 vs 30 knots, crew 323 vs 300.
| Arleigh Burke | Sejong the Great | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| Category | Destroyer | Destroyer |
| Type | Guided-missile destroyer | Guided-missile destroyer |
| Manufacturer | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Hyundai Heavy Industries |
| Year introduced | 1991 | 2008 |
| Number built | 78 units | 4 units |
| Estimated unit price | $2,200 million | $923 million |
| Displacement | 9,900 tons | 10,000 tons |
| Maximum speed | 31.0 knots | 30.0 knots |
| Range | 4,400 nm at 20 knots | 5,500 nm at 20 knots |
| Length | 155.3 m | 166.0 m |
| Beam | 20.0 m | 21.4 m |
| Crew | 323 | 300 |
| Arleigh Burke | Sejong the Great | |
|---|---|---|
| Armament |
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| Propulsion | 4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines each generating 26,250 bhp (19,570 kW); coupled to two shafts, each driving a five-bladed reversible controllable-pitch propeller; Total output: 105,000 bhp (78,000 kW) | 4 × General Electric LM2500 COGAG; 2 × shafts; 100,000 shp (75,000 kW) produced power |
Detailed Comparison
The Arleigh Burke-class and Sejong the Great-class (KDX-III) represent the core of their respective nations' surface warfare capabilities. The US Navy fields 78 Burke hulls as the backbone of its global fleet, while the Republic of Korea Navy operates four KDX-III vessels to counter immediate regional ballistic threats and project blue-water influence.
Development and Design
Ingalls and Bath Iron Works have iterated on the Arleigh Burke design since 1988, adapting it from a Cold War anti-aircraft escort into a distributed ballistic missile defense (BMD) platform across four variants (Flights I, II, IIA, and III). The Sejong the Great leverages the Burke’s Aegis architecture but utilizes an enlarged hull (166.0m vs 155.3m) to accommodate a higher weapon density. At $923 million per unit, the South Korean vessel costs less than half of a new $2.2 billion Burke, primarily due to differing shipbuilding economies and the integration of domestic subsystems.
Weapons and Sensors
The KDX-III prioritizes raw magazine depth. It carries 128 vertical launch cells compared to the Burke’s maximum of 96. This payload is split between 80 US-made Mk 41 cells for Standard Missiles and 48 K-VLS cells for indigenous Hyunmoo III land-attack cruise missiles and K-ASROC anti-submarine rockets.
The surface-to-surface loadouts differ strictly:
- The Sejong mounts 16 dedicated Haeseong anti-ship missiles.
- The Burke increasingly relies on the SM-6 for anti-surface warfare, as only older flights retain Mk 141 Harpoon launchers.
Sensor capabilities align on older hulls, utilizing the AN/SPY-1D multi-function radar. However, Flight III Burkes integrate the active electronically scanned array AN/SPY-6, providing higher target discrimination against saturation attacks compared to the baseline configurations on KDX-III destroyers.
Propulsion and Performance
Both classes utilize a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion layout with four General Electric LM2500 turbines. The heavier 10,000-ton Sejong the Great achieves a maximum range of 5,500 nm at 20 knots, outdistancing the Burke’s 4,400 nm. Both sustain top speeds of 30 to 31 knots. Both classes utilize all-steel construction, though the Burke integrates Kevlar splinter protection around vital spaces and heavier acoustic and radar cross-section reduction techniques.
Deployment and Combat Record
The Arleigh Burke class has three decades of combat data. Hulls executed Tomahawk land strikes in Iraq (1996, 1998, 2003) and Syria. Between 2016 and 2024, deployed Burkes in the Red Sea intercepted anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones, marking the first combat employment of the SM-3 interceptor in April 2024. The Sejong the Great class has no combat record. Its operational history consists of tracking North Korean ballistic missile test launches.
Conclusion
For localized surface warfare and high-volume land attack, the Sejong the Great holds the edge. Its 128 VLS cells and 16 dedicated anti-ship missiles provide a heavier standalone alpha-strike capability. However, for integrated air and missile defense, the Arleigh Burke is the superior platform. The Flight III’s SPY-6 radar architecture, combined with a 30-year combat record of damage control and intercept execution, provides proven survivability that the untested South Korean fleet currently lacks.