High-end technology surface combatants

DSME has cumulated outstanding naval ship construction technology over 30 years. By training a skillful workforce and investing in facilities and equipment for naval shipbuilding, DSME became the no. 1 naval shipbuilder in Korea.

For surface ships, DSME built a 4,000-ton destroyer that can carry a helicopter in 1989. It has become the main destroyer model of the Korean navy, demonstrating 100% competence in design engineering. This model of destroyer has self-defense capabilities with a speed of 30-knots and outstanding warfare capabilities that can track and destroy missiles as well as airplanes, surface combatants, and submarines. Following the successful building of three 4,000-ton class destroyers, DSME was awarded an order for a 5,000-ton class destroyer in 1999. The company built two more vessels and delivered them to the Korean navy in December 2003. The biggest surface combatant in the Korean navy, a 10,000-ton class destroyer was also built in DSME. With all these records, DSME has succeeded in delivering over 35 high-quality surface combatants to the Korean navy.

By mid-2020, Korea’s navy has a plan to change its surface combatant force to one with more offensive and defensive capabilities. Currently DSME is taking part in the development of state-of-the-art technology for the next generation combatant program, so called Future Frigate experimental frigate program. The first of class in FFX-II program was successfully delivered to the Korean navy and the second ship is under construction in DSME. Also, the next generation of destroyer is in the conceptual design phase and is being performed by DSME.

Based on such technological capabilities, DSME became the first Korean company to receive an order for a 2,300-ton class frigate from the Bangladesh navy, which placed Korea among warship exporters. In 2013, DSME was also awarded an export contract from the Thai Navy for a high-end frigate. In addition, DSME has built numerous 1,000 ~ 3,000-ton battleships of various kinds.