Leonardo DRS has been awarded a contract by South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility to provide the electric propulsion system for the Republic of Korea Navy’s KDDX destroyer programme.
The move marks a significant step in the development of South Korea’s first fully indigenous, next-generation guided-missile destroyers.
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Under the agreement, Leonardo DRS will deliver an integrated electric power and propulsion solution for the KDDX lead ship, which is currently being constructed by Hanwha Ocean.
The system will feature the company’s 100-Series permanent magnet propulsion motors and high-performance variable frequency drives.
Leonardo DRS said its DRS permanent magnet motor is engineered to achieve high torque density within a compact structure, which reduces the overall size and weight relative to standard electric machines.
When paired with the company’s variable-frequency drive, the system enables accurate and efficient propulsion control, minimising the space required in the engine room and facilitating more adaptable ship designs.
DRS stated that the system is produced to meet military standards for power quality, shock, and vibration, aligned with the Republic of Korea Navy’s operational requirements.
Leonardo DRS president and chief executive officer John Baylouny said the company’s electric-propulsion technologies were “designed to deliver the power capacity, efficiency, reliability and adaptability required for advanced radars, advanced EW systems, directed energy systems, the charging of unmanned vehicles, the launch of drone swarms and other increasingly power-intensive mission capabilities.”
The Republic of Korea Navy’s KDDX programme is expected to include a minimum of six destroyers, marking the first time the service will deploy surface combatants equipped with a full-electric-drive system.
Doosan Enerbility and Leonardo DRS will jointly supply an integrated package covering both electrical and mechanical equipment for the new class of warships.
This latest selection builds on Leonardo DRS’s history of providing electric propulsion technology for the Republic of Korea Navy, including hybrid electric drive systems for the FFX Batch II, III and IV anti-submarine warfare frigates.
In addition to its work in South Korea, DRS supplies advanced electric power and propulsion systems to the US Navy and other allied naval forces globally.
Leonardo DRS Naval Power Systems senior vice president and general manager Jon Miller said: “For more than a decade our systems have supported Republic of Korea Navy FFX II/III/IV frigates, and we have demonstrated the ability to scale our electric-propulsion technology for the most demanding naval applications, including the [US] Columbia-class submarine programme.”
No financial terms or delivery schedules were disclosed as part of the announcement.
