HD Hyundai Heavy delivers Aegis destroyer to S.Korean Navy

South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. completed and delivered Jeongjo the Great, one of the world's top-tier Aegis destroyers, to the South Korean Navy.

HD Hyundai Heavy announced on Wednesday that it held a delivery signing ceremony at its Ulsan headquarters for the Jeongjo the Great, an 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer (Batch-II).

The event was attended by South Korean Navy representatives as well as notable international figures, including Nolan Barkhouse, the US Consul in Busan, Troya Suarez, Ecuador's Ambassador to South Korea, Artur Gradziewicz, Poland's acting ambassador to South Korea, and government officials from Morocco, Chile, Thailand and Peru, among others.

Poland and Peru are considered key prospects for expanding South Korea’s defense exports, while the US is exploring maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) collaborations in the defense sector.

Following the signing ceremony, attendees visited the shipyard’s special vessels division to tour the latest frigate Chungnam, which will be delivered to the Navy next month.

The Jeongjo the Great is South Korea’s fourth domestically designed and built Aegis destroyer.

It features cutting-edge technologies, including the latest Aegis combat system, multifunction phased array radar, a proprietary integrated sonar system, a Korean vertical launch system, and ballistic missile defense capabilities.

These allow the vessel to detect and track ballistic missiles to intercept them.

The construction of the Jeongjo the Great began in 2019 following a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

After its keel-laying and groundbreaking ceremonies in 2021, it was launched on July 28, 2022. The destroyer passed around 550 rigorous tests, including evaluations of maximum speed, before being delivered to the Navy on schedule.

Since its construction began, Jeongjo the Great has garnered significant international attention, with dignitaries such as the US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visiting the site, reflecting the vessel’s global prominence.

Write to Hyeon-woo Oh at ohw@hankyung.com