Hanwha Ocean Signs Main Contract for Construction of Ulsan-class Frigate Batch-III Ships No. 5 and 6

Construction of Successor Ship Superior to Escort Ship Batch-III Lead Ship Begins in Earnest
Next Year, Demonstrating Competitiveness for KDDX Detailed Design and Lead Ship Contract

Hanwha Ocean is set to begin full-scale construction of the Ulsan-class Batch-III 5th and 6th frigates.

On the 10th, Hanwha Ocean signed the main contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration for the ‘Ulsan-class Batch-III 5th and 6th Frigate Construction Project.’ The contract amount is 791.73 billion KRW.

This construction project replaces the Republic of Korea Navy’s aging patrol ships and frigates and represents the final phase of the ‘Ulsan-class Batch-III’ plan. Hanwha Ocean was selected as the preferred negotiator for the Ulsan-class Batch-III 5th and 6th frigate construction project in July and proceeded through technical negotiations to reach the main contract. Once construction begins in earnest, the 5th ship is scheduled to be delivered and commissioned to the Republic of Korea Navy by December 2027, and the 6th ship by around June 2028.

The warships contracted by Hanwha Ocean this time are the last vessels of the Ulsan-class Batch-III project, and they will also play a pioneering role in the exploratory development of future follow-up frigate projects, adding significant meaning to the contract.

Hanwha Ocean plans not only to build the Ulsan-class Batch-III 5th and 6th frigates as superior follow-up ships to the lead ship and successfully deliver them but also to put forth its best efforts in securing the detailed design and lead ship contracts for the Korean next-generation destroyer KDDX, expected to be tendered next year.

Model of Ulsan-class Batch-III frigate to be built by Hanwha Ocean
Photo by Hanwha Ocean

Hanwha Ocean has contributed to strengthening the Republic of Korea Navy’s capabilities and autonomous defense through the production of high-quality warships. Since 2000, Hanwha Ocean is the only company to have constructed the entire lineup of the advanced domestically produced destroyer projects KDX-I, II, and III, which introduced new combat concepts. In 2012, by performing the conceptual design of the KDDX, Hanwha Ocean demonstrated outstanding technology and know-how in cutting-edge surface combatants such as Aegis destroyers. With this surface combatant construction competitiveness, it is also the company that has delivered the most destroyers currently operated by the Republic of Korea Navy.

A Hanwha Ocean official stated, “This main contract for the Ulsan-class Batch-III 5th and 6th frigate construction project once again proves that we are a ‘prestigious warship builder.’ With our technology, trust, and integrity, Hanwha Ocean will also do its best to secure the detailed design and lead ship contracts for the KDDX planned for next year, contributing to the security of the Republic of Korea and the enhancement of naval power.”

The Ulsan-class Batch-III frigates are 3,500-ton class vessels, 130 meters in length, capable of a maximum speed of 30 knots (55 km/h). They are equipped with air defense and anti-submarine detection capabilities and feature a hybrid propulsion system combining a medium-low speed electric propulsion method with a gas turbine propulsion engine for high-speed navigation.