KDDX: South Korea's Indigenous Aegis Destroyer

South Korea Signs Contract for Its First Indigenous Aegis Destroyer

South Korea has cleared a critical milestone on its path toward equipping its navy entirely with domestic technology. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) officially signed the contract with Hanwha Ocean on July 31 for the detailed design and construction of the lead ship under the Korean Destroyer Next Generation (KDDX) Program.

While DAPA’s own announcement did not disclose the contract’s financial details, a disclosure filed by Hanwha Ocean with the Korea Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure system (DART) clarified the figures. The contract is worth 838 billion won (approximately $600 million), equivalent to 6.6% of the company’s consolidated revenue at the end of 2025. The program’s total budget was announced at 7.8 trillion won (approximately $5.4 billion).

KDDX and Indigenous System Integration

The KDDX Program aims to draw on South Korea’s accumulated shipbuilding experience to develop most of the ship’s weapon systems domestically. The goal is to reduce reliance on foreign systems and build the country’s first Aegis-class destroyer entirely with national technology.

Under the program, the lead ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Republic of Korea Navy in 2032. Key systems to be developed domestically include the combat management system, sonar suite, multi-function phased-array radar (MFR), and ship-to-air guided missile system.

New Technologies Being Integrated Into the Project

During the detailed design and lead-ship construction phase, the basic design work will be converted into technical documentation and production drawings. The ship will then be built and undergo sea trials and system tests to verify its performance.

The program also plans to integrate a range of newer technologies developed after the basic design phase, including virtual model-based ship design and construction methods, a layered anti-drone defense system, and a 5G-based integrated wired-and-wireless communications infrastructure.

Jeong Jae-jun, Head of DAPA’s Infrastructure and Force Development Program Bureau, commented on the project: “The KDDX Program is a national initiative that brings together South Korea’s highest-level shipbuilding and defense industry capabilities. To field warships suited to the future operational environment in a timely manner and to support the development of the defense industry, we will review project execution methods from various angles, including for follow-on ships. Building on the success of the KDDX Program, we aim to further strengthen the international competitiveness of Korean warships.”