July 28, 2011:
Alarmed at the North Korean naval buildup on the west coast, just north of the border, South Korea has increased its order for PKG-A missile patrol boats from 24 to 34. The first PKG-A boat entered service three years ago, and another five are about to. These are 63 meters (207 foot) long, 570 ton vessels with a top speed of 76 kilometers an hour. Each boat is armed with a 76mm gun, a dual barrel 40mm autocannon, shoulder launched anti-aircraft missiles and four anti-ship missiles (range: 150 kilometers). In addition to air and surface radars, there are also electronic countermeasures. There is no sonar or anti-submarine weapons. There is a crew of forty, and each boat costs $39 million.