The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced today (the 31st) that it has signed a contract with Hanwha Ocean for the detailed design and construction of the lead ship for the Korea Next-Generation Destroyer (KDDX) project.

The KDDX project, with a total budget of 7.8 trillion won, is the first "Korean-style Aegis destroyer" project to domestically build six 7,000-ton class destroyers using local technology.

Major weapon systems, including the ship combat system, sonar system, multi-function phased array radar, and surface-to-air guided missiles, will also be localized.

The budget for this KDDX detailed design and lead ship construction project is 837.9 billion won. Hanwha Ocean plans to deliver the lead ship to the Navy in 2032 following the detailed design phase.

During this phase, the previous basic design results will be fleshed out into technical data and manufacturing blueprints, followed by procedures to verify performance through ship construction and test evaluations.

Initially, the detailed design and construction of the lead ship were scheduled to begin in 2024 after completing the basic design in December 2023, but the project was delayed by about two years as DAPA failed to select a contractor due to controversies over the leakage of military secrets and defense industry corruption.

Ultimately, DAPA pushed forward with a competitive bidding process between South Korea's two major shipbuilders, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, selecting Hanwha Ocean as the preferred bidder earlier this month.

As the project drifted for a long time, concerns were raised regarding potential technological obsolescence in the KDDX project. In response, DAPA stated that it would actively incorporate cutting-edge technologies developed since the basic design phase, including anti-drone defense systems, a 5G-based wired and wireless integrated communication environment, and digital twin-based ship design and construction technologies.

Jung Jae-joon, head of DAPA's Future Capabilities Program Directorate, said, "The Korean destroyer project is a national project that brings together the highest level of ship construction and defense industry capabilities," adding, "We plan to review various ways to promote the project, including the follow-up ships, to ensure that ships optimized for future operational environments are deployed in a timely manner."

DAPA is reportedly aiming to begin placing orders for the remaining five follow-up ships starting in late 2028 after completing the detailed design, with the goal of delivering all follow-up ships to the Navy by 2036.

(Photo provided by Hanwha Ocean, Yonhap News)