At HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan yard, the future of South Korea’s naval defense is being forged. The Republic of Korea Navy’s next-generation Aegis destroyer (KDX-III Batch-II) King Jeongjo the Great was successfully launched last July and is awaiting operational deployment. The lead ship in the next-generation Aegis class, King Jeongjo the Great, with a length of 170 meters, a width of 21 meters, and a light displacement of 8,200 tons, is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy at the end of 2024 after undergoing sea trials.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is recognized for its advanced technology in the Aegis destroyer sector. Since delivering South Korea’s first Aegis destroyer King Sejong the Great in 2008, it has successfully delivered two King Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyers (KDX-III) and has also won orders for all three next-generation Aegis destroyers commissioned by the Republic of Korea Navy. Consequently, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will have constructed five of the six Aegis destroyers to be possessed by the Korean Navy.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, crafting the future of South Korea’s maritime defense, holds the country’s most extensive record for constructing naval vessels. Beginning with the development of Korea’s first combat ship, Ulsan, in 1975, it has to-date constructed 102 state-of-the-art naval vessels, including 5 Aegis destroyers, 3 KDX-II destroyers, 12 frigates, 6 patrol ships, 9 submarines, 31 patrol and rescue ships, 7 support ships, and 14 export ships, thus proving its competitiveness in the defense industry.
Han Young-seok, the vice chairman of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, at the recent international maritime defense industry expo (MADEX 2023), signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with Babcock Canada for a submarine export project to Canada, stating, “By combining the world-class technical expertise of both companies in shipbuilding and defense, we expect to create significant synergy and secure differentiated competitive advantages through close cooperation.”
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is actively targeting overseas markets as well as domestic ones, thus actively extending the reputation of K-Defense globally. Starting with the delivery of the military support ship Endeavour to New Zealand in 1988, the delivery of a naval patrol ship Madhumati to Bangladesh in 1997, and a 2,600-ton frigate Jose Rizal to the Philippines in 2020, the company has exported a total of 14 vessels, boasting the highest number of naval vessel exports in the country.
Last August, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a mutual cooperation agreement in the field of educational and training systems with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Through this agreement, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to expand exchanges and build strategic partnerships for technological development and business advancement in maritime training systems, based on domestic and foreign surface ships and submarine projects.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and KAI will cooperate on the establishment and expansion of educational and training systems for new vessel construction and performance improvement of existing vessels, including manned and unmanned integrated systems. Additionally, to enhance the competitiveness of bids during ship exports, they will package educational and training systems and promote joint domestic and international marketing. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to solidify its competitiveness in the ship sector through such diverse cooperation.
Last July, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries completed the conceptual design of the next-generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), demonstrating its technical capabilities in the research and development of future vessels. The next-generation OPV designed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is characterized by the adoption of AI-based advanced technologies, which enable significant levels of automation and unmanned operations.
Following the development of two types of export model offshore patrol vessels of 1,500-ton and 2,200-ton class, and after securing an order for six 2,450-ton class offshore patrol vessels from the Philippines last year, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries completed the conceptual design of the next-generation OPV similar in type to the Republic of Korea Navy's future vessels, thereby proving its technological prowess in the R&D of future-type vessels.