South Korea receives first Batch-III frigate and issues contracts for other vessels
ROKS Chungnam, the first-of-class FFX Batch-III frigate, was handed over to the ROKN on 18 December 2024. (Photo: HD HHI)
South Korea is moving ahead at speed with its frigate programme, involving both domestic heavy-hitting shipbuilders.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) formally handed over the first-of-class ROKS Chungnam, an FFX Batch-III frigate, in a ceremony in Ulsan on 18 December 2024.
The same day, Hanwha Ocean announced receipt of a contract for the first pair of follow-on Batch-IV frigates.
HD HHI signed the Batch-III detailed design and construction contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in March 2020. This lead ship for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) was launched in December 2022 and, measuring 129m long and with a 30kt top speed, the class features an integrated sensor mast with a four-sided
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base]()
How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base
Extending far beyond a four-submarine replacement programme, France’s ballistic missile submarine effort is a decades-long industrial initiative designed to preserve the country’s ability to build and sustain nuclear-powered strategic platforms.
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
