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ROK government commits to delivering Australian frigates by 2029
In a sign of just how seriously South Korea is about forming closer defence links with Australia, the government has committed to meeting the ambitious delivery schedule of the first RAN ship in the water by 2029. The offer was explained to APDR by Rear Admiral Hyun-Seung Shin, ROK Navy Director General, Naval Ship Program Department. There are two Korean companies shortlisted for the SEA 3000 General Purpose Frigate program, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hanwha Ocean (HO). The other bidders come from Germany, Japan and Spain. If either of the Korean companies are selected, the ROK government in the form of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration will guarantee that the first ship is in the water by 2029 and the next two by 2030. Attending the IODS conference in Perth, RADM Shin said that if the RAN wants even faster delivery of the frigates, all three could potentially be in the water by 2029. This would be followed by full ROK support of the Australian build in Henderson of the remaining eight ships. He said that ROKN frigates are constructed to world beating standards with an emphasis on survivability following the 2010 sinking of the corvette ROKN Cheonan by a North Korean submarine with 46 sailors tragically being killed. He also explained that the ROKN is extremely familiar with US weapons, having used them extensively, and would fully support their integration onto the Australian ships. RADM Shin summarised the position of the ROKN: “The Australian General Purpose frigate has two key aspects. The first is to have the delivery of high performance frigates in the 2029-32 timeframe. The other aspect is to support the Australian shipyard in the local build of the remaining eight ships. “I have suggested that by 2029 DAPA can guarantee that the lead ship – the first in the series – will be delivered to Australia. For ships number two and three, we can deliver those by 2030 at the latest. “Also on the request of the Australian government, we have the capacity to speed up the process and deliver all three ships by 2029.” This story will be updated. For Editorial Inquiries Contact : Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]
TAGSAustraliaFrigatesRANSouth Korea
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Kym Bergmannhttps://asiapacificdefencereporter.com/
Kym Bergmann has more than 35 years of experience in journalism and Australian and international defence industry. After graduating with Honors from the Australian National University, he joined Capital 7 television, holding several positions including foreign news editor and chief political correspondent.
After 2 years on the staff of a Federal Minister, he moved to the defence sector and held senior positions in several companies, including Blohm+Voss, Thales, Celsius and Saab. In 1997 he was one of 2 Australians selected for the Thomson CSF 'Preparation for Senior Management' MBA course, the other being Chris Jenkins - formerly the CEO of Thales Australia.
He has also worked as a consultant for a number of companies, including Raytheon, Tenix (now part of BAES) and Martin Marrietta (now part of Lockheed Martin). He had several board appointments, including Thomson Sintra Pacific (1994 - 96) and Saab Pacific (1998 - 2003).
He retains good personal links with senior figures in Government, as well as in industry and the media. He decided to return to journalism in May 2008, and holds the position of editor for Asia Pacific Defence Reporter (APDR) and Defence Review Asia (DRA). He is also a podcaster and commentator on defence and national security issues.