HJSC seals deal to build four naval patrol boats for South Korea

South Korean shipbuilder HJ Shipbuilding & Construction (HJSC) has signed a contract to build four special-purpose naval patrol killers with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

Early this month, the global company was named a negotiation partner for building four naval patrol killers (Black Eagle-B Batch II). The newest order is for four additional orders for new naval vessels.

The new naval ship project is a project launched to build 200t patrol vessels which substitute for the Chamsuri-class patrol boats (PKMs) which played a big role at the first and second Naval Battles of Yeonpyeong.

This new naval ship is recognized as a next-generation combat ship because it is far more advanced than the old Chamsuri-class boats in terms of detection, defense and mission-accomplishing capabilities.

HJSC successfully built and delivered 16 warships (Black Eagle-B Batch I). In the Batch-II project, the company also signed contracts for 4 boats last year and 4 additional ships this year.

So far, the South Korean shipbuilder has built and handed over nearly 100 Chamsuri-class patrol boats and signed contracts to build 8 next-generation patrol killer guided-missiles (PKGs) and 24 new patrol boats, cementing its influence in high-speed patrol ships.

The total contract amount for new naval patrol boats is as large as about KRW 1.7 trillion.

“Based on our 5 decade-long experiences and advanced technologies in building diverse naval ships including ROKS Marado, we are going to keep making our best efforts in strengthening maritime security and defense,” an official from HJSC said.

The global shipbuilder plans to build and hand over patrol boats to the ROK Navy for the protection of the Northern Limit Line (NLL). They would be deployed after sea trials and mobilization.