Seoul, South Korea – Dec 13 – Hyundai Heavy Industries(HHI) Group has over-fulfilled its annual target for shipbuilding orders ahead of the 2018 year-end, recently concluding a contract to build twostate-of-the-art frigates for the South Korean Navy.
HHI announced today the nation’s arms procurement agency Defense Acquisition Program Administration(DAPA) has placedan order valued at KRW 633 billion for two 2,800-ton class frigates.
Capable of sailing at a maximum speed of 30 knots with an overall length of 122 meters and an overall beam of 14 meters,these two vessels would mark the 7th and 8th units of Phase II of the Navy’s Future Frigate Program called “FFG Batch-II,” thereby completing the batch. Currently in the process of building the 3rd and 4th units of the batch as previously ordered, HHI plansto commence on the construction of the two additionally ordered ships in the second half of 2020 for sequential delivery to the Navy by 2023.
Equipped with cutting-edge weaponry such as Tactical Surface to Land Attack Missile and Anti-Submarine ROCket(ASROC),the FFG Batch-II fleet boasts advanced combat power that is a step further from Batch-I’s, while also featuring a hybrid propulsion system that reduces underwater radiated noise and enhances submarine detection capability and survivability.
HHI is the only shipyard to participate in all three phases of the South Korean Navy’s Future Frigate Program. Buildingon its successful track record of delivering three 2,300-ton class frigates in Phase I of the program, HHI is now responsible for constructing four units of the Phase II fleet as aforementioned, while also working on the basic design process for Phase III.
“These new state-of-the-art frigates will be yet another testament to our long-established reputation of successfullyconstructing a number of warships,” said Nam Sang Hoon, Head of Special and Naval Shipbuilding Division at HHI. “We are honored to contribute to the Navy’s initiative to reinforce its combat capabilities.”
HHI’s latest achievement brings the year-to-date number of ships HHI Group has on order to 153 valued at USD 13.3 billionin aggregate, which exceeds the group’s annul target for the shipbuilding sector.