Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. and Hanwha Defense USA will take part in the U.S. Navy's next-generation logistics support ship design program. This is the first case since the launch of the MASGA project in which a Korean corporations carries out a U.S. Navy ship program based on a local U.S. shipyard.
Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. and Hanwha Defense USA said on the 30th (local time) that they signed a cooperation agreement with Bard Marine US, a ship and special vessel design corporations, for the concept design program of the U.S. Navy's next-generation logistics support ship.
Hanwha Defense USA is a subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace in Arlington, Virginia, and is responsible for the development and execution of defense programs across land, sea, and air in the United States.
In this program, Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. and Hanwha Defense USA will work with Bard Marine US to conduct market research and carry out concept design and refinement for the new logistics support ship platform. They will also support producibility reviews, application of commercial shipbuilding methods, and production expense analysis, and the options include a functional design plan and special studies.
Under the awarded contract, the U.S. Navy's next-generation logistics support ship in which Hanwha will be involved is expected to perform roles such as refueling, resupplying, and rearming at sea and on land, based on a downsized platform. It features improved expense efficiency by applying already proven commercial technologies. The project is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
With this contract, Hanwha has secured its first U.S. Navy program since acquiring the Philly shipyard. Hanwha Group has invested more than $200 million (about 305 billion won) since the launch of Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. in Dec. 2024 to strengthen production capacity and expand the local workforce.
This is seen as a starting point for Hanwha to accelerate the expansion of its shipbuilding and defense businesses in the United States. According to a report published in Jan. by the U.S. Congressional Research Service, the future annual expense of new U.S. Navy ship construction is projected to reach an average of $35.8 billion (about 54.68 trillion won).
Tom Anderson, head of the shipbuilding division at Hanwha Defense USA, said, "Hanwha is proud to participate in the design process of the U.S. Navy's next-generation logistics support ship in cooperation with Bard Marine US," adding, "This award is an important step in leveraging Hanwha's world-class shipbuilding capabilities to build the ships the U.S. Navy needs to support U.S. service members deployed across diverse maritime operational environments."