South Korea launched a new 3,600-ton submarine on Wednesday featuring improved stealth capabilities and the ability to carry more ballistic missiles, marking a major upgrade to the country’s ability to carry out strikes against North Korea.

The navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a joint press release that it held a launching ceremony for the ROKS Jang Yeong-sil (SS-087) at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje. 

The vessel, named after a 15th-century Korean inventor, is the first of the KSS-III Batch-II series and the successor to the three 3,000-ton Dosan Ahn Chang-ho-class submarines developed under Batch-I, the