Hanwha Ocean Co. said Thursday it has been selected as the preferred bidder for South Korea's next-generation Navy destroyer project worth 7.8 trillion won.
Hanwha Ocean said in a regulatory filing that the state-run Defense Acquisition Program Administration notified the company of the selection on Wednesday.
The KDDX program aims to build six 6,000-ton-class Aegis destroyers using domestically developed technologies. Hanwha Ocean beat rival HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.
The envisioned destroyers are expected to become one of the Navy's core strategic assets, offering capabilities comparable to those of the 7,100-ton King Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyers.
