SEOUL, December 08 (AJP) - HJ Shipbuilding held a launch ceremony on Monday for four domestically built high-speed patrol boats, strengthening South Korea’s coastal defense capabilities.
The vessels were built under a 2022 contract with the Navy as part of the PKX-B Batch-II program. The ceremony took place at the company’s Yeongdo Shipyard in Busan and was attended by senior defense and industry officials, including Rear Adm. Ahn Sang-min, acting head of the ship project division at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and HJ Shipbuilding Chief Executive Yoo Sang-cheol.
The new boats, designated PKMR-class patrol vessels, are set to replace the aging Chamsuri-class fleet. They are equipped with advanced combat management systems, 130 mm guided rocket launchers, electronic warfare suites and anti-missile systems.
The vessels use waterjet propulsion to operate effectively in shallow waters and are built with reinforced armor, shock-resistant structures and stealth features to reduce detectability and improve combat resilience.
HJ Shipbuilding said it had previously delivered 16 vessels under the PKX-B Batch-I project and has secured contracts for all 12 ships under the Batch-II program.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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