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THE INVESTOR]
Hanjin Heavy Industries has signed a deal worth 199.1 billion won (US$177.40 million) with Defense Acquisition Program Administration to supply three new PKX-B patrol vessels, it said on Oct. 12. The project amounts to 6.39 percent of the firm’s revenue.
The Korean shipbuilder was selected in 2014 as the main supplier of patrol vessels to replace the original Chamsuri-class patrol vessels, which have been in service with the navy since the 1970s. The ship launching ceremony for its first PKX-B vessel named Chamsuri-211, hosted by the South Korea Navy, was held in Busan on July 28.
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Ship launching ceremony for HHIC’s PKX-B patrol vessel held in Busan on July 28. |
The new naval patrol vessels, also known as patrol killer mediums, are expected to weigh approximately 200 tons, a lighter and faster model than the 400 ton PKX-A guided missile patrol gun boats HHIC delivered previously in 2005. This enables the ship to react promptly when provoked near the Northern Limit Line.
Its combat capability will also be upgraded, armed with 76mm naval artillery, long-range guided missile and remote-controlled machine guns.
HHIC plans to manufacture a total of three vessels at its shipyard in Busan and deliver by 2019.
By Jung Min-kyung (
mkj1105@heraldcorp.com">
mkj1105@heraldcorp.com)
