HD HHI held a ceremony in honor of the start of the construction of a next-generation Aegis Destroyer 2 at its specialty yard in Ulsan, Korea, on March 12.
At the ceremony, participants wished for the successful construction of the ship by placing the first block on the dock. The ceremony indicates that the ship’s construction is on track.
The South Korean Navy plans to purchase a total of three 8,200-ton Next Generation Aegis Destroyers from HD HHI. The lead ship, the Jeongjo Daewang, is undergoing trials and evaluations ahead of its delivery later this year while the construction of the second ship began on March 12. HD HHI will build a third ship later this year.
The next-generation Aegis destroyer will be 170 meters long, 21 meters wide, and 8,200 dead weight tons. It will be capable of operating at a maximum speed of 30 knots (about 55 kph). Compared to current King Sejong-class Aegis destroyers, it will additionally have a ballistic missile interception capability. It will have a much improved function to combat submarines.
Its main weapons will include surface-to-surface guided missiles and long-range sea to air ballistic missiles, long-range anti-submarine torpedoes and light torpedoes. It will feature the latest Aegis combat system, a multi-function phased array radar, an electro-optical tracking system, and an integrated sonar system.
Furthermore, it will be equipped with a fuel-saving auxiliary propulsion system consisting of two 1.7 MW electric motors that can cut fuel consumption.
HD HHI will launch the second of the three next-generation Aegis destroyers and test it in 2025, and deliver it to the Navy in late 2026.
Once deployed, the warship will be a key naval force in the Korean Anti-Missile Defense system, capable of responding to various threats while detecting, tracking and intercepting ballistic missiles, experts say.