UK, South Korea Strengthen Defense Ties

After a recent visit to South Korea by Peter Luff, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology to help nurture the defense industrial relationship between the two countries. Earlier this year, the UK MoD announced that it had ordered a new generation of 37,000-tonne tankers for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to support future Royal Navy operations around the globe. During his visit, Luff visited the dockyards of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) near Busan where the four new Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) tankers will be built. The contract with DSME is worth £452m. The MARS tankers will sustain the Royal Navy's ability to refuel at sea and will provide fuel to warships and task groups. And will also deployed amphibious, land and air forces close to the shore, will be able to operate helicopters, and are planned to enter service from 2016, replacing existing RFA single-hulled tankers. The tankers will be 200 meters long and will pump “enough fuel to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools an hour,” according to a ministry issued statement.