Hyundai Heavy Industries has delivered its first 3000-ton submarine to the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) at a ceremony in the city of Ulsan, in the country’s southeast.
The KSS-III Shin Chae-ho – named for a Korean independence activist - is a Dosan Ahn Changho-class diesel-electric attack submarine, a class built jointly by Hanwha Ocean (formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The KSS-III class of attack submarines is the final phase of South Korea’s attack submarine program, a three-phase build that began in 1994 and is scheduled for completion in 2029. The official number of submarines to be built under the program is 27, although ADM understands that the actual number is higher.
KSS III comprises the final phase of nine official boats, itself divided into three batches of three. The Shin Chae-ho is the third KSS III Batch-1 submarine and the first to be designed and build independently with Hyundai Heavy Industries technologies, including a lead-acid battery, an air-independent propulsion system and ‘state of the art’ noise control. Shin Chae-ho is capable of being armed with guided missiles, torpedoes, underwater mines and can fire submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) through its six vertical launch cells.
The Batch-II submarines, which will use a lithium-ion battery, are under construction and scheduled to begin delivery in 2028, whilst Batch III is in design.
The ROK government’s powerful DAPA agency – Defence Acquisition Program Administration – mandates the shared construction of the submarine fleet between Hanwha Ocean and Hyundai Heavy Industries to maintain the nation’s ability to manufacture two submarines simultaneously at two different shipyards. In practice, this means that both companies alternate builds (between odd and even numbered submarines) but largely share the same domestic supply chain.
The ceremony marked the conclusion of the submarine’s thirty-month test and evaluation period, which began after its launch ceremony in September 2021. Later this year the Shin Chae-ho will undergo force integration and joint mission activities.
“I am glad to have this opportunity to share the excellence of our submarines, which have been delivered on time, with the world. We will continue to work with the Government as part of our ‘Team Korea’ effort to stay fully committed and make tangible results in K-defence exports,” said Wonho Joo, Senior Executive Vice President of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Naval & Special Ship Business Unit (NSSBU).
Other attendees included Dookyum Kim, Mayor of Ulsan; Sung Il, Deputy Minister of the Office of Military Resources Management at the South Korean Ministry of Defence (MND); Kyoungho Han, Head of Advanced Capabilities Program Agency at the ROK’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration; and Jungho Kang, Commander at the ROKN Submarine Force Command.
International representatives included Michael MacDonald, member of the Canadian Senate; CDRE Michael Jacobson, Director General Submarines for the Royal Australian Navy; and Paul Duclos, Peru's Ambassador to Korea.
The attack submarine program represents a decades-long effort to elevate South Korea’s undersea capabilities from limited fleet of midget submarines to a large diesel-electric fleet capable of undertaking the full range of modern attack submarine taskings, including reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare.
The first phase – KSS-I – saw the ROKN acquire nine 1200-ton Jang Bogo-class boats, followed by the KSS-II phase of nine 1800-ton Type 214 submarines (the Son Won-il class) built under a license from German shipbuilding company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), owned by ThyssenKrupp.
The indigenously designed and built KSS III phase – the Dosan Ahn Changho class - represents South Korea’s emergence as a highly capable manufacturer of diesel-electric submarines, led by commercial titans Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean. The country is now looking at export opportunities, particularly to Canada.
It also represents the growth of South Korea as a significant regional military power. With a population of 51 million and a defence budget just 34 per cent larger than Australia's, the ROK Navy operates around five times the number of conventionally powered submarines as the RAN.
Disclaimer: The writer travelled to South Korea as a guest of Hyundai Heavy Industries.