Contract signed for first Korean FFX Batch-III frigate.

Defense Acquisition Program Administration awarded Hyundai Heavy Industries $328 million (₩400 billion) contract to begin system development and subsequent construction of the lead ship of FFX Batch-III class of frigates.

As a premier AAW frigate, FFX Batch-III’s most notable improvement over the preceding class (Incheon and Daegu) is its indigenous 4-panel AESA multi-function radar.

One puzzling fact is that there has not been any development of long-range naval SAM for this class of frigate despite its powerful radar. As of right now, FFX Batch-III will only be armed with Sea Bow (Haegung) K-SAAM which boasts ~20km range.

The lead ship is scheduled to enter service with the Republic of Korea Navy in 2024 and total of 6 ships will be built.

Displacement: 3,500 tons (empty) / estimated 4,000 tons (full)

Length: 129 meters

Width: 15 meters

Top Speed: 30 knots

Armaments: 5 inch gun, K-VLS, CIWS, AShM, etc.

She is about 7 meters longer, 1 meter wider, and 500+ tons heavier than Daegu-class frigate.

Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of FFX frigates.