South Korea to develop alarm system for navy ships

SEOUL, March 24 (UPI) -- South Korea is working to develop an automatic alarm system for its naval forces to prevent another North Korean attack at sea, Seoul's navy said.

The alarm system will be run by software that sends alerts when a South Korean vessel is under attack. It assesses the damage and provides information to crew on safe exits.

The system is being developed to ensure "enhanced survivability," the navy says. In addition to serving as a warning system, it also provides simulation training. It's expected to be completed by 2020.

South Korea is now using a fourth-generation damage-control tactical management system for naval use, co-developed by British and Canadian firms. Seoul said the fifth-generation system that it's developing will increase survival rates on embattled ships.

South Korea is getting ready to observe the sixth anniversary of the Cheonan warship sinking – a torpedoing incident that killed 46 South Korean seamen on March 26, 2010.

North Korea has denied any connection to the event, but in May 2010 a South Korea-led team of international experts concluded that a North Korean torpedo was responsible for the deaths.

Investigators concluded the torpedo was launched from a North Korean submarine: The South penalized the North with sanctions.

To step up naval security, a new class of Batch-II next-generation frigates, to be launched in 2016, is also to be equipped with a quieter hybrid engine to evade North Korean submarine sonars, Yonhap reported.

Up to 20 next-generation frigates are to be launched by 2020.