The company said it will attend the 2026 World Defense Show, or WDS, in Riyadh from Feb. 8 through Feb. 12. It plans to run a joint exhibition area with LIG Nex1, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and EOST to present advanced shipbuilding technology and maritime defense capabilities.
Held every two years, WDS is expected to draw about 770 defense companies from 76 countries and more than 100,000 visitors this year, bringing together key decision-makers from the Middle East and the global defense market.
Saudi Arabia is pursuing a naval modernization program that includes large-scale procurement of new frigates. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said it will display eight types of vessels, including the 6,000-ton export frigate HDF-6000, designed to meet Saudi requirements.
The company said it developed the HDF-6000 as an “Aegis destroyer-class frigate,” expanding its size and significantly upgrading onboard systems and performance based on experience building the Sejong the Great-class and Jeongjo the Great-class Aegis destroyers.
At the show, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to highlight a package approach for the Saudi naval modernization effort to officials from the Saudi Defense Ministry and navy. It said it will emphasize its design, construction and project-management capabilities, along with experience in local construction and maintenance, repair and overhaul, citing successful results at Peru’s SIMA shipyard.
The company also said it will propose a phased localization plan tailored for shipbuilding in Saudi Arabia. If it wins a frigate order, it is considering gradually increasing the share of local construction for the HDF-6000 centered on the Saudi IMI shipyard, established through joint investment by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Saudi state-owned company Aramco, among others.
Separately, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said it will sign a joint memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment and 12 South Korean companies, including LIG Nex1 and STX Engine, to build a local supply chain. The MOU aims to set cooperation measures under Saudi Arabia’s Industrial Participation Program, or IPP, and pursue joint entry into the Saudi market.
Joo Won-ho, president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, said the company added strategic weight by presenting the HDF-6000, optimized for Saudi requirements, at the region’s largest defense exhibition. He said the company will do its best to win the next frigate program through local construction and industrial cooperation using IMI, the largest shipyard in the Middle East and North Africa.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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