HD Hyundai Heavy Industries develops next-generation models of Korean destroyers and other combat ships
The ship designs will be unveiled at MADEX 2023 in Busan
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will be revealing the models of a next-generation Korean destroyer and other combat ships they are currently developing.
On June 4, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced that it will participate in the International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX 2023), which will be held at BEXCO in Busan from June 7 to 9, and will unveil the models of next-generation warships that the company is currently developing for the first time, BusinessKorea reports.
The ships to be unveiled at this exhibition include the next-generation Korean destroyer KDDX, an unmanned power command and control ship that is a new concept, an upgraded Korean aircraft carrier model, and an offshore patrol vessel for export. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has been performing the basic design work since winning the KDDX No. 1 ship project, the core future power of the Navy, in March 2020.
The unveiled KDDX is characterized by its integration mast, a domestically developed combat system, and the first adoption of a “high-capacity, high-output integrated electric propulsion system” in Korea. It has been made into a “future expandable platform” to facilitate the addition of future weapon systems and improvements in platform performance.
The unmanned power command and control ship, which will be unveiled for the first time at MADEX 2023, is an advanced warship capable of carrying out unmanned reconnaissance missions in the air, sea, and underwater using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned surface vessels (USVs), and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
The Korean aircraft carrier model to be unveiled is an upgraded model of the light aircraft carrier, for which HD Hyundai Heavy Industries completed a concept study in 2020. The length, width, and area of the light aircraft carrier has been expanded, and it has been designed to operate using the Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) method instead of the vertical landing method. It can carry domestically developed aircraft (KF-21N) with the application of an Electronic Launch System (EMALS) and the next-generation Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG).
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will also unveil the model of the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) developed for export.
Since winning the escort ship and patrol ship projects in 2016 and 2021, which are key power projects for the modernization of the Philippine Navy, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has been actively penetrating the overseas ship market, and last year it succeeded in winning the Coast Guard ship project.
Meanwhile, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to strengthen partnerships with domestic and foreign defense companies during the exhibition period, including promoting mutual cooperation with Babcock Canada for submarine exports, and launching a joint development of simulators to support the training of crew members of exported warships with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).