Hanwha Ocean has been selected as the preferred negotiation partner for constructing the first ship of South Korea's next-generation destroyer.

Korean Media: Hanwha Ocean Selected as Priority Negotiation Partner for Detailed Design and First Ship Construction of KDDX

It has been reported that Hanwha Ocean has been selected as the priority negotiation partner for the detailed design and construction of the first ship in the KDDX project, a next-generation Korean destroyer program with a total scale of 7.8 trillion KRW (approximately 34 billion RMB).

On the 2nd, Hanwha Ocean announced in a press release: "Following the evaluation by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), we have been designated as the priority negotiation partner for the detailed design and first ship construction of the KDDX." After concluding negotiations on specific terms such as contract value and project duration, the final contract will be signed.

The KDDX project involves constructing six 7,000-ton class Aegis-equipped destroyers using indigenous Korean technology. Typically, naval vessel projects proceed in stages: conceptual design and basic design, followed by detailed design and first-ship construction, then subsequent shipbuilding. Hanwha Ocean is responsible for conceptual design, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries handles basic design. However, there has been intense competition between the two companies over the selection criteria and qualifications for the formal construction phase—specifically the "detailed design and first ship construction" stage.

On June 11, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration notified both companies of their final evaluation scores. Although HD Hyundai Heavy Industries scored 0.6425 points higher than Hanwha Ocean in technical capability, it lost 1.2 points due to a past military secrets leak incident, resulting in a reversal of rankings.

Although HD Hyundai Heavy Industries lodged an objection to the evaluation results, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration stated on the 1st: "It is difficult to accept requests for re-evaluation," and thus rejected the appeal. In response, Hanwha Ocean said: "The project has already been delayed by more than two years. We will leverage our cutting-edge technological capabilities and do everything possible to ensure the timely commissioning of the KDDX."

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869570839848011/

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