8200-ton 'Jeongjo Daewang' Delivery Signing Ceremony
Officials from 7 Countries Including the US and Poland Attend
"Showcasing World-Class Timely Delivery and Construction Capabilities"
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has constructed and delivered the Jeongjo the Great, a world-class Aegis destroyer, to the Navy.
On the 27th, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries held a delivery signing ceremony for the 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer (Batch-II) No. 1 ship, Jeongjo the Great, at its headquarters in Ulsan. Attendees included Cho Hyun-ki, Director of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's Basic Power Project Division; Kwak Kwang-seop, Chief of Planning and Management Staff at the Navy Headquarters (Brigadier General); Park Tae-gyu, Commander of the Navy 8th Combat Training Group (Brigadier General); Lee Sang-gyun, CEO of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries; and Joo Won-ho, Head of the Special Ship Business Division.
Sea trials of the first ship of the next-generation Aegis destroyer (KDX-III Batch-II), the "Jeongjo the Great," built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and delivered to the Navy (Photo by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries)
Also present were Nolan Barkhouse, Consul General of the United States in Busan; Troya Suarez, Ambassador of Ecuador to Korea; Artur Grajzuk, Charge d'Affaires of Poland to Korea; along with government officials from Morocco, Chile, Thailand, Peru, and a total of over 20 dignitaries from seven countries.
After the Jeongjo the Great delivery signing ceremony, attendees toured the Special Ship Business Division yard to view the state-of-the-art frigate Chungnam, scheduled for delivery to the Navy next month. Among the foreign guests, countries such as Poland and Peru are considered likely candidates for expanding 'K-Defense' exports, and cooperation in defense MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) with the United States is under consideration, adding significance to the event.
The Jeongjo the Great is the fourth domestically designed and constructed Aegis destroyer using Korean technology. It is equipped with the latest Aegis combat system, multifunction phased array radar, an independently developed integrated sonar system, Korean Vertical Launching System, and ballistic missile interceptors, enabling detection, tracking, and interception of ballistic missiles.
On the 27th, attendees at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan headquarters are taking a commemorative photo at the delivery ceremony of the 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer Jeongjo Daewang. (Provided by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries)
In particular, by being equipped with the latest Aegis combat system, it possesses not only detection and tracking capabilities but also interception ability against ballistic missiles, and is expected to serve as a core force in the 'sea-based mobile tri-axis system.'
Since signing the construction contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in 2019, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries held the groundbreaking and keel-laying ceremonies in 2021, followed by the launching ceremony on July 28, 2022. Since then, it has flawlessly passed approximately 550 rigorous tests and evaluations, including maximum speed assessments, and was delivered to the Navy on schedule. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has gained attention for timely delivery in terms of performance, cost, and construction period, having delivered the Ulsan-class frigates Cheonan and Chuncheon, the 3,000-ton submarine Shin Chae-ho, and now the Jeongjo the Great.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has entered the final stages of construction ahead of the launching ceremony for the second Jeongjo the Great-class ship next year and began construction of the third ship last month. It has also started local joint development of four Peruvian vessels, including the Philippine patrol ship scheduled for delivery next year.
Joo Won-ho, Head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Special Ship Business Division, said, "We are pleased to deliver the Jeongjo the Great, which boasts world-class performance, through organic collaboration with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the Navy, the Agency for Defense Development, and the Defense Quality Assurance Institute." He added, "As 'Team Korea, Team Ship,' we will do our best to lead K-Defense exports."
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