A rendering of the KDDX next-generation destroyer. [Hanwha Ocean]
A rendering of the KDDX next-generation destroyer. [Hanwha Ocean]

South Korea's next-generation destroyer program, known as KDDX, is now on track with a target to commission the lead vessel in 2032, backed by a budget of 7.8 trillion won ($5.41 billion).

Hanwha Ocean announced Friday that it had signed a main contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration for the detailed design and construction of the KDDX lead ship.

The contract was finalized after Hanwha Ocean was selected as the preferred negotiating partner earlier this month, following negotiations covering technology, contract conditions and price.

The KDDX program calls for building six 7,000-ton destroyers using domestic technology, making it South Korea's first indigenously developed Aegis-class warship program. The government plans to commission all six vessels to the Navy between 2032 and 2036 to complete the mobile task fleet that forms the backbone of South Korea's naval power.

The lead ship will serve as the benchmark for subsequent vessels, making design completeness and systems integration capability critical to the program's success.

Hanwha Ocean plans to draw on technical expertise accumulated since its launch in May 2023 through construction of the fifth and sixth ships of Ulsan-class Batch III and the first and second ships of Batch IV to successfully deliver the KDDX lead vessel.

The company also plans to incorporate advanced warship technologies — including a manned-unmanned combined combat system, a multi-layered defense system and an enhanced cyber protection system — as well as manpower-reduction automation technology to produce a KDDX optimized for the battlefield environment of the 2030s.

"Hanwha Ocean feels a profound sense of responsibility as the contractor for the KDDX detailed design and lead ship construction," said Kim Ho-jung, executive vice president of domestic sales at Hanwha Ocean's special vessel division. "We will do our utmost to ensure the KDDX — which will lead South Korea's naval power in the 2030s and serve as a flagship model for Korea's maritime defense industry — establishes itself as the finest destroyer capable of leading the global defense market."


keg@heraldcorp.com