Hyundai Heavy to Design Amphibious Assault Ship For S Korean Navy

Hyundai Heavy Industries has won a concept design order for the South Korean Navy's amphibious assault ship that can base short-take-off-vertical-landing (STOVL) aircraft such as the F-35B.

Hyundai Heavy has announced it signed an agreement with the Navy regarding the LPX-II project, the next-generation new versatile large-deck landing ship for STOVL fighter jets.

Hyundai Heavy aims to complete the concept design task by end-2020. Production schedule of the LPX-II project is not known at the moment.

Hyundai Heavy has earlier constructed the Dokdo and Marado ships under the LPX-I project. The proposed new carrier will be a considerable upgrade both in terms of size, payload and technology. In addition to helicopters, it will have a special deck to accommodate the vertically-landing F35B.

South Korea has ordered 40 F-35A jets, meant for its air force. It may need  a complement of 10-15 F35B jets once the LPX-II carrier project gets going. The  S Korean Navy has so far not announced any intention to acquire the more expensive STOVL F-35B jets.

Hyundai Heavy (HH) announced October 11 that it has signed a deal the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) a KRW 670 billion contract for product engineering and construction for the first vessel of the Gwanggaeto the Great-class III batch-II.

The vessel to be built by HH under this contract is the first of the three new Aegis destroyers that will be added to the South Korean Navy’s fleet, to be constructed in HHI’s Ulsan-based yard scheduled for delivery by 2024.