Hanwha Systems Selected as Preferred Negotiator for Korean Next-Generation Destroyer Combat System Project

Image of KDDX Integrated Mast (IMAST) exhibited by Hanwha Systems at MADEX2019

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Hanwha Systems is joining hands with the Agency for Defense Development to officially begin developing the brain of Korea’s first domestic ‘mini Aegis destroyer,’ the Korean next-generation destroyer (KDDX).

On the 16th, Hanwha Systems announced that it was selected as the final preferred bidder for the development project of KDDX’s Combat Management System (CMS) and Multifunction Radar (MFR). The project scale is about 670 billion KRW, accounting for approximately 60% of Hanwha Systems’ defense sector sales last year, making it the largest domestic combat system development project.

KDDX is the first domestically produced destroyer to be made entirely with domestic technology, from the hull to the combat system, multifunction radar, and various armaments. Known as a 6,000-ton class ‘mini Aegis destroyer,’ the total project scale is 7.8 trillion KRW, and a total of six ships are planned to be built over the next 10 years.

The combat system to be installed on the KDDX will perform the roles of command and weapon control of the ship under simultaneous and multiple combat situations such as air defense, anti-ship warfare, electronic warfare, and land attack. It will integrate, link, and analyze resources such as sensors and weapons based on a network, and will be equipped with real-time tactical information processing technology and multi-data link capabilities to control various naval guns and guided missiles.

In particular, the integrated mast (I-MAST), a new concept weapon system that enhances the ship’s stealth capabilities, will have detection sensors such as a dual-band multifunction phased array radar, infrared search and track equipment (IRST), and identification friend or foe (IFF), as well as communication antennas including VHF and UHF, mounted in a planar form.

Additionally, the multifunction radar to be installed on the KDDX is a ‘dual-band multifunction radar’ for combat operations that operates simultaneously on a single platform. An S-Band radar for long-range air target and ballistic missile detection and tracking, and an X-Band radar for short-range air target and surface target detection and tracking will both be mounted on the integrated mast simultaneously.

The X-Band radar is the same radar as the AESA radar of the recently successfully delivered Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X), applying advanced radar technology possessed only by some advanced countries such as the United States and Europe. The future-developed KDDX is expected to significantly improve ship detectability reduction and interference issues between sensor and communication antennas, thereby enhancing the survivability and combat capability of the warship.

Kim Yeon-cheol, CEO of Hanwha Systems, said, “In a situation where military power competition among neighboring major powers is fiercer than ever, we feel a heavy responsibility and mission to participate in the next-generation destroyer development project, which is purely based on domestic technology. We will do our best to create a warship with the most advanced brain that surpasses the Aegis destroyer, using the technology accumulated through the development of domestic and international ship combat systems and radars.”

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