▲ The new navy frigate 'Daegu'
The fact that the same major defects occurred one after another in the new Navy frigates was confirmed as a result of SBS coverage.
The frigates are operating at a lower speed without the military authorities finding the cause, and they do not know when they will stop.
Combining the coverage of the DAPA and the Navy, the faulty ships are the latest frigates 1, 2, and 3, the Daegu, Gyeongnam, and Seoul ships.
The Navy will spend a total project cost of 3.2 trillion won by 2023 to build eight new 3,600-ton class frigates.
However, small amounts of oil leaked from time to time in these traps.
As a result of the investigation by the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, the propulsion shaft that transmits the electric motor power to the screw was scratched and damaged by the thrust bearing.
If this situation continues, the propulsion shaft is broken and the operation itself becomes impossible.
All three frigates withdrew from the force, but replaced the axles and bearings with the same products earlier this month and put them back into operation.
A navy official said, "Even after repairs, there are difficulties in high-speed maneuvering due to concerns about the shaft breaking."
The exact cause of why the shaft was scratched by the bearing was not known, because it was only a soldering prescription called replacement of parts.
Three more new frigates were recently launched up to the 6th ship, and two more, including the 7th ship Cheonan, are under construction.
Since they were designed together and the same parts were used, the possibility of a full overhaul and repair of all eight new frigates cannot be ruled out depending on the results of the investigation.