South Korea moves ahead with new frigates
The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) continues to modernise, with a design and production contract being awarded to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the Ulsan-class Batch III frigate.
The contract is worth KRW400 billion ($320 million), and it authorises HHI to perform detailed design work and build the first-of-class vessel. In total, six of these 3,500t ships are planned for this FFX batch.
The deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) was announced by HHI on 16 March. The first of the class is scheduled to be delivered in 2024.
Nam Sang-hoon, senior executive VP of HHI, commented:
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