Republic of Korea Navy selects local builder for combat-capable USVs

South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has begun collaborating with the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) to develop new combat-capable unmanned surface vessels (USVs), HHI said in a press release on Tuesday, April 22.

The company has received an order from the ROKN in line with a conceptual design project that involves deploying USVs in combat roles.

HHI intends to hold an initiation meeting before the end of this month and carry out the conceptual design project over a period that will conclude in December 2025. The project will determine the requirements and acquisition plans for the various systems that will be integrated in the USVs.

LIG Nex1, another South Korean company, will meanwhile manufacture 12-metre reconnaissance USVs for the ROKN. These USVs, which will be designed to be deployed from the ROKN's forward bases and other key ports, will feature modular construction to permit the integration of mission-specific sensors and armament.