French defense technology company ECA Group has received a contract to deliver a steering console for the third South Korean KSS-III submarine which is to be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries.
ECA Group also has a contract for the delivery of steering consoles for the first two submarines in the class under construction at South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME).
DSME contracted ECA Group for the delivery of steering consoles in 2014.
The French company further noted it is well positioned to secure work on the remaining six submarines of the South Korean Navy’s KSS-III program which will be built in three batches.
The first submarine of the first batch is expected to be launched in 2018 and handed over to the navy at the end of 2020 following two years of sea trials. The second submarine will be delivered at the end of 2022.
Work on the second batch of KSS-III submarines, which will incorporate more South Korean technology, is already underway at DSME after the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) awarded the shipbuilder a contract to design the Batch-II submarines and construct the first hull. The contract was signed in May 2016.
All KSS-III submarines are planned to be delivered by 2029.