KDDX rendering. Photo courtesy of Hanwha Ocean
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said on the 31st that it signed a contract with Hanwha Ocean for the detailed design and lead ship construction of the Korean next-generation destroyer (KDDX).
The KDDX program, with a total project cost of 7.8 trillion won, is the first “Korean Aegis destroyer” construction project to build six 7,000-ton destroyers using domestic technology. Major weapons systems, including the ship’s combat system, sonar system, multifunction phased array radar, and ship-to-air guided missiles, will be domestically produced.
The budget for this KDDX detailed design and lead ship construction project totals 837.9 billion won. Hanwha Ocean plans to deliver the lead ship to the Navy in 2032 after completing the detailed design.
The process will refine the existing basic design results into technical data and production drawings, and then verify performance through ship construction and testing and evaluation based on them.
Initially, the plan was to begin detailed design and lead ship construction from 2024 after completing the basic design in December 2023. However, overheated competition between the two companies prevented DAPA from selecting a contractor, delaying the project by about two years.
Ultimately, DAPA conducted a competitive bid between HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, the two dominant players in Korea’s shipbuilding industry. Earlier this month, it selected Hanwha Ocean as the preferred bidder.
As the project drifted for a long period, concerns were raised over the technological obsolescence of the KDDX program. In response, DAPA plans to actively incorporate the latest technologies developed since the basic design, including a counter-drone defense system, a 5G-based integrated wired and wireless communication environment, and digital twin-based ship design and construction technology.
Jeong Jae-jun, head of DAPA’s Ground-based Force Program Bureau, said, “The Korean destroyer project is a national project that brings together the highest level of ship construction and defense industry capabilities.” He added, “We plan to review project promotion measures, including follow-on ships, from various angles so that ships optimized for the future operational environment can be fielded in a timely manner.”
DAPA aims to begin ordering the remaining five follow-on ships from late 2028 after completing the detailed design, with the goal of delivering all follow-on ships to the Navy by 2036.
