Hanwha Ocean (042660.KS) will begin work in earnest, targeting the deployment of the lead ship by 2032, after finalizing the 7.8 trillion won Korean Next-Generation Destroyer (KDDX) project.
Hanwha Ocean said on the 31st that it had signed the main contract for the detailed design and lead-ship construction of the KDDX with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The KDDX is the first domestically built Aegis-class vessel project, aimed at securing six 7,000-ton destroyers with local technology. The government plans to deploy the six KDDX ships to the Navy starting in 2032 through 2036.
After issuing the project bid announcement in March, DAPA conducted on-site inspections and proposal evaluations of the bidding companies before selecting Hanwha Ocean as the preferred negotiating partner on the 1st of this month.
Since its launch in May 2023, Hanwha Ocean has accumulated and advanced its surface-ship design and advanced construction capabilities through the order and construction of the fifth and sixth ships of the Ulsan-class Batch-III and the first and second ships of Batch-IV. In particular, as this KDDX lead ship is Korea's first destroyer to be equipped with nine core domestically developed key systems, Hanwha Ocean intends to create a world-class vessel with flawless systems integration capabilities.
Recent battlefield environments are changing rapidly, with unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) threats expanding in conflicts such as the U.S.-Iran war in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war, and cyberattacks paralyzing maritime operational networks. The workload burden on Navy personnel is also accelerating amid a trend of declining troop numbers. Hanwha Ocean plans to actively incorporate vessel performance enhancement technologies such as a manned-unmanned combined combat system, a multi-layered defense system, and a reinforced cyber protection system, and to apply personnel-saving automation technologies that can optimize operating manpower.
"As the operator for the KDDX detailed design and lead-ship construction, we feel a heavy sense of responsibility," said Kim Ho-jung, executive director of domestic sales at Hanwha Ocean's Special Ship Business Unit. "We will do our utmost to ensure that the KDDX, which will lead the Republic of Korea's naval power in the 2030s and become a flagship model of K-maritime defense, establishes itself as the best destroyer capable of leading the overseas defense market."
