HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said on the 30th that it signed a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration for a 468.9 billion won program to develop an upgrade system for three Jang Bogo-II (Type 214) submarines.
The Type 214 submarine, with a displacement of 1,800 tons (t), has been the mainstay of the Republic of Korea Navy since it was deployed between 2007 and 2020. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries built six of the nine Type 214 submarines equipped with air-independent propulsion.
The upgrade program will cover three of the nine Jang Bogo-II submarines that have been in service for more than 10 years. Core equipment such as the combat system, towed array sonar, mine-avoidance sonar, and buoy-type antenna will be replaced with the latest versions.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to work with LIG Nex1, which previously carried out upgrades of Jang Bogo-I (Type 209) submarines, to complete the upgrades by 2033.
Joo Won-ho, head of the Naval and Medium Vessels Division at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, said, "Winning this system development project for submarine upgrades is meaningful in that it recognizes HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' accumulated know-how and competitiveness in submarines."