The Defense Acquisition Program Administration is starting construction of a follow-on ship to Soyang, a logistics support ship that was put into service in 2018. A logistics support ship supplies fuel, ammunition, food, and other logistics at sea to ships engaged in operations.

At Hanwha Ocean's Geoje, Gyeongnam yard on the 29th, participants cut rice cakes to wish for the successful construction of the AOE-II underway replenishment ship at the second steel-cutting ceremony. From the second on the left: Kim Gyu-baek, Hanwha Ocean executive director; Choi Seong-hun, Defense Acquisition Program Administration landing ship project team leader. /Courtesy of Defense Acquisition Program Administration

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said on the 29th that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for the second-phase logistics support ship (AOE-II) project at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje shipyard in South Gyeongsang, with officials from the Navy, the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ), Hanwha Ocean, and partner companies in attendance.

The second-phase logistics support ship project calls for building one more ship of the 10,000-ton-class Soyang-class logistics support ship, which entered service in 2018, by 2028. The total project cost is 531.5 billion won. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration signed a contract with Hanwha Ocean in 2024 to build the second logistics support ship.

Noise-reduction design has been applied to the follow-on ship. It will also be equipped with intelligent closed-circuit television (CCTV) that automatically detects emergencies such as fires and falls, with the plan to improve crew living conditions and safety.

The design also considered mounting the Close-In Weapon System (CIWS-II), which is currently under research and development in Korea. The integrated engine control system (ECS), which integrates propulsion, power, and auxiliaries into a single network for centralized control, will be localized for the first time and applied.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration expects that the technology and know-how accumulated through the construction of this logistics support ship will contribute to expanding orders for future shipbuilding and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) projects. Choi Sang-deok, head of the ship project department at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (rear admiral), said, "Logistics support ships are a core asset that determines the success or failure of maritime operations," adding, "We will do our best to ensure that a high-performance ship is put into service in a timely manner."

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