HD Hyundai Heavy, US Largest Defense Shipbuilder Form 'Naval Alliance'

Huntington Ingalls Builds Aegis Destroyers and More

HD Hyundai is accelerating its entry into the U.S. market by collaborating on shipbuilding business with Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the largest defense shipbuilder in the United States.

Joo Won-ho (right), Head of Special Ship Business at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Brian Blanchette (left), President of Ingalls Shipbuilding, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the 7th (local time) to enhance shipbuilding productivity and cooperate on advanced shipbuilding technologies. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries

On the 7th (local time), HD Hyundai announced on the 8th that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Huntington Ingalls for "Enhancing Ship Production Efficiency and Cooperation in Advanced Shipbuilding Technology."

Huntington Ingalls operates the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Mississippi, the largest surface combatant shipyard in the U.S., where it builds two-thirds of the Aegis destroyers recently ordered by the U.S. Navy, as well as all large amphibious ships and large patrol vessels.

Under this MOU, both companies will combine their expertise and capabilities in warship construction to maximize production efficiency, while sharing know-how and capabilities to improve construction costs and delivery times.

They also plan to jointly promote process automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption for building digital shipyards, as well as workforce training and participation in the supply chain for equipment. Furthermore, they will consider cooperation for future joint investments.

Joo Won-ho, Head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Special Ship Business, said, "Through cooperation between leading shipbuilding companies of the allied countries Korea and the U.S., we expect to not only advance the shipbuilding industries of both countries but also significantly contribute to strengthening security cooperation between the two nations."

Brian Blanchette, President of Ingalls Shipbuilding, said, "This is an important first step to strengthen shipbuilding capabilities through cooperation among allied countries. Combining our expertise will greatly help in building high-quality warships that support maritime security for both countries."

At this maritime aerospace exhibition, HD Hyundai signed an MOU with the U.S. ABS classification society for design certification of lightweight logistics support ships for the U.S. Navy, and also signed an MOU with Fairbanks Morse Defense, a leading U.S. defense equipment company, for local supply chain cooperation. Recently, HD Hyundai’s Ship Technology Research Institute has been accelerating its entry into the U.S. shipbuilding market by discussing joint R&D plans in warship fields such as next-generation advanced warship design with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.