HD Hyundai builds Aegis destroyer with anti-ballistic missiles

ULSAN, South Korea –  At the shipyard of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. on Nov. 20 in Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea's next-generation Aegis destroyer Jeongjo the Great and its frigate Chungnam were anchored at side by side at Quay 11 like brothers. 

The two warships, completed after about 60 months of construction, are in pilot operations by the South Korean Navy before their delivery to the Navy at the end of next year.

Jeongjo the Great, built with South Korea's own technology, is about 600 tons larger than the 7,600-ton Sejong the Great class, its first-generation Aegis destroyer.

What makes it notable is its ballistic missile defense capabilities. It is equipped with Raytheon’s standard missile (SM)-6 system, which South Korea in 2022 acquired from Raytheon, a US defense company, to enhance the Aegis destroyer's missile interception capabilities.

Jeongjo the Great is 170 meters long, 21 meters wide and 50 meters high, sailing at a speed of 55 kilometers per hour.

It is composed of nine floors -- four floors underground and five floors above ground -- with 500 compartments inside. Unlike civilian ships, warships have a closed-compartment structure to block the inflow of seawater.

IMPROVED SURVIVABILITY

South Korea is one of the three countries after the US and Japan with the capability of building Aegis ships.

“Jeongjo the Great is made up of about 500 compartments like blocks, so it can enhance survivability from enemy torpedo attacks and sinking,” said an official from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.

“The Navy expressed high satisfaction about its riding experience. It is like riding a mid-size sedan.”

Jeongjo the Great is installed with an integrated combat system, dubbed the Aegis system, to deal with attacks from multiple submarines, fighter jets and missiles as a single battleship.

It also sharpens its defense capabilities with the advanced combat system, Aegis Baseline 9.C2.0, developed by Lockheed Martin this year, to intercept medium-range ballistic missile targets.

It is capable of detecting more than 1,800 targets at a distance of more than 1,800 kilometers with a 360-degree omnidirectional surveillance phased array radar (SPY-1D).

DETECTION OF UNDERWATER THREATS

The new warship also boasts an integrated sonar system to detect, track and identify underwater threats.

In addition, it adopted a low-frequency-based sonar detection system that increases the detection distance by about 1.5 times, compared with the existing high-frequency-based sonar system.

Jeongjo the Great can operate on electricity as well, with two hybrid electric propulsion systems, which reduce noise, built on the existing four gas turbines.

MILITARY PATROL SHIPS FOR THE PHILIPPINES

HD Hyundai Heavy is seeking to win orders for special ships from other countries, utilizing the technology and know-how it has accumulated through the construction of Jeongjo the Great.

On Nov. 22, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of the first 3,200-ton Philippine patrol ship at its special ship dock in the shipyard.

The ships are scheduled for delivery to the Philippine Navy by 2025. The shipbuilder also has bagged an order for maintenance and repair (MRO) for two frigates delivered to the Philippine Navy between 2020 and 2021.

“We plan to double sales volume from special ships to achieve the economies of scale so that our special ship business can be competitive enough to stand alone,” Joo Won-ho, head of HD Hyundai Heavy’s naval and special ship business unit, told reporters.

“We are looking to acquire shipyards in other countries, including Southeast Asia and South America, and also preparing to establish overseas subsidiaries.”

Write to Mi-Sun Kang at misunny@hankyung.com
 


Yeonhee Kim edited this article.