Defense Companies Competing in the 'Mini Aegis Ship Order Battle'

On the 6th, a model of the KDDX destroyer was exhibited at the 'Joint Weapon System Development Exhibition' held at the Defense Convention in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Competition among defense companies is fierce over the Korean next-generation destroyer (KDDX) project. The KDDX is larger than the 4,200-ton Korean destroyer (KDX-II) but smaller than the 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer (KDX-III), the main force of the Navy’s mobile units, earning it the nickname "mini Aegis ship." The KDDX combat system project aims to secure shipborne combat systems necessary for missions such as detecting and tracking enemy ballistic missiles, air defense, anti-ship warfare, and land attack. The KDDX project is a plan by the Navy to invest about 7 trillion won to acquire six 6,000-ton destroyers capable of operating in distant seas, with the final contractor to be selected by the end of this year to begin basic design.

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), a strong contender in domestic destroyer orders, will compete against the relatively latecomer Hyundai Heavy Industries in the ship order battle. This order is expected to be a much-needed boon for the shipbuilding industry, which has been experiencing sluggish sales.

DSME, having previously won all the Navy-led Aegis destroyer projects KDX-I, II, and III, is placing high hopes on this project as well. DSME’s strategy is to build a smart ship equipped with a bow design comparable to the U.S. Zumwalt-class and a large number of smart technologies based on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Hyundai Heavy Industries boasts the experience of building over 80 domestic vessels, including the Sejong the Great-class destroyer. Additionally, Hyundai Heavy Industries has developed and installed an integrated mast (a vertical pillar on the hull deck housing essential electronic equipment such as radar and sensors) using domestic technology, and proposed a ship applying advanced technologies such as unmanned and automated systems to prepare for personnel reduction.

Some speculate that Hyundai Heavy Industries and DSME may split the orders. The fact that the competition is limited to these two shipbuilders is seen as a positive aspect. Regarding Hyundai Heavy Industries’ acquisition of DSME, the key follow-up step, the corporate merger review process, is underway, and it is evaluated that they will secure stable work under one roof.

Besides ship orders, defense companies Hanwha Systems and LIG Nex1 are also entering a prideful competition over the development of the combat system, which will serve as the brain of the KDDX.

Hanwha Systems emphasizes its accumulated experience in ship combat systems. Over the past 30 years, Hanwha Systems has powered up combat systems for about 80 vessels of the Korean Navy, including destroyers, frigates, high-speed boats, and submarines. It is currently undertaking the development of the combat management system for the Ulsan-class next-generation frigate Batch-III, as well as the composite sensor mast integrating a four-sided fixed multifunction phased array radar and infrared detection and tracking equipment.

LIG Nex1’s strength lies in its development experience and core personnel in sensor-to-shooter systems, from radar to command and fire control systems. LIG Nex1 has developed various guided weapons mounted on naval vessels, shipborne search radars, sonar systems, ship electronic systems (SONATA), and shipborne multiband multifunction radios (TMMR). It also successfully completed the power-up of the integrated combat system for the Jangbogo-I performance improvement project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.