The Republic of Korea continues its efforts to increase its power in the seas. In this context, the Republic of Korea Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed an agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries for the FFX-III frigate. The ship is said to be known as “Ulsan-class”, and is a further development from the earlier Daegu-class frigate that was designed under the FFX-II program. The frigates called the Ulsan class are expected to be delivered to the Korean Navy by 2024.

Based on earlier information released by DAPA, the new Ulsan-class FFX-III frigate would have a length of 129 meters, a width of 15 meters, and will displace at around 3,500 tons.  It will be powered by a hybrid gas and electric propulsion system, with the electric propulsion provides an advantage during anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations due to its quiet propulsion, while still allowing the ship to reach a maximum of speed of around 30 knots using the gas turbines.