South Korea’s HHI inks deal to build four ships for Peru’s Navy

SANTIAGO, Chile — A South Korean company will build four ships for the Peruvian Navy under a $463 million contract signed this week.

The vessels are part of Peru’s ambitious program to modernize its naval surface fleet, which may involve the construction of 23 ships of different types, an effort potentially worth more than $3 billion. The South American country’s primary focus is to acquire six advanced multipurpose guided-missile frigates to replace the six aging frigates that currently serve as the Navy’s main surface combatants.

The finalized deal, which follows Peru’s pick of Hyundai Heavy Industries in March, will see the company provide both the designs and support for the construction of the vessels, with the delivery deadline set for 2029.

“We will mobilize our advanced technological capabilities and extensive experience to modernize and enhance the combat capabilities of the Peruvian Navy,” Joo Won-ho, the head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ naval and special ship division, said after the signing of the contract.

HHI will be in charge of the ships’ designs as well as the provision and supply of tools, materials and technical support during construction. With this contract, the South Korean firm is expanding its footprint in a regional market traditionally dominated by European shipbuilders .

Peru is to receive a 3,400-ton guided-missile frigate, a 2,200-ton offshore patrol vessel and two 1,500-ton landing ships. The local state-owned firm Servicios Industriales de la Marina will participate in their construction at its shipyards in Callao.

“We will ensure that the SIMA shipyard, which has provided us with the opportunity to collaborate from the other side of the globe, possesses sufficient shipbuilding capacity and establish it as [our] hub for Central and South America,” Joo said.

The six 2,500-ton frigates the Navy wants to replace are based on the Italian Lupo-class design; two were built in Peru. For the most part, they have been in service for nearly five decades.

The Peruvian government approved the frigate replacement program in February 2023, with an initial budget of $161 million following studies and discussions that began in 2015. In July 2023, SIMA was named the prime contractor for the program. At the same time, it was unveiled the Spanish firm Escribano Mechanical and Engineering would serve as a subcontractor supporting weapons integration.

According to Lewis Mejias, an independent defense analyst based in Peru’s capital Lima, the contract confirms “the leadership of SIMA Peru as one of the most capable shipyards in the South Pacific. It will also open more opportunities for the participation of other local companies supplying systems, parts and services. This is one of the main targets of the government, with the aim to get advanced technology transferred and new jobs created, strengthening Peru’s industrial capacities not only in the maritime field but also beyond that field.”

A source in South Korea’s capital Seoul, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss specifics of the military program, told Defense News the frigate HHI is to produce is based on the hull of the Daegu-class frigate built for the South Korean Navy, but tailored to meet Peru’s needs. Those requirements including an enlarged stern to fit a hangar and allow for the flight of 12- to 14-ton helicopters.

Peruvian special forces deploy onto the flight deck of the Peruvian Navy frigate BAP Quiones during an exercise in 2009. (Chief Petty Officer Alan Gragg/U.S. Navy)

It’s unclear if the Peruvian ship will include the same combined diesel-electric and gas propulsion of the South Korean vessels.

According to the source, the frigate will be fitted with a 3D active electronically scanned array radar, which Peru has not yet selected.

The South Korean company Hanwha is promoting the SAQ-600 combat management system, the SQS-250K towed array sonar and the SQS-240K hull-mounted sonar, the source said.

For weaponry, the source added, South Korea’s LIG Nex1 and Hanhwa are proposing the Haegung K-SAAM surface-to-air missile. LIG Nex 1 is offering the SSM-700K C-Star/Haesong anti-ship missile and the Sea Dragon/Haeryong land-attack cruise missile. The Peruvian Navy is expected to fit a gun to the frigate, either a 76mm/62-caliber or a 127mm/54-caliber option.

José Higuera is a Latin America correspondent for Defense News.

智利圣地亚哥——一家韩国公司将根据本周签署的价值 4.63 亿美元的合同，为秘鲁海军建造四艘舰艇。

这些舰艇是秘鲁雄心勃勃的海军水面舰队现代化计划的一部分，该计划可能涉及建造23艘不同类型的舰艇，总价值可能超过30亿美元。这个南美国家的首要目标是采购六艘先进的多用途导弹护卫舰，以取代目前作为海军主力水面作战舰艇的六艘老旧护卫舰。

继秘鲁在 3 月份选择现代重工之后，最终达成的协议将由现代重工提供船舶的设计和建造支持，交付期限定于 2029 年。

“我们将调动我们先进的技术能力和丰富的经验，使秘鲁海军的作战能力现代化并得到提升，”HD现代重工海军和特种船舶部门负责人朱元浩在合同签署后表示。

现代重工将负责船舶的设计，以及建造过程中所需的工具、材料和技术支持。凭借这份合同，这家韩国公司正在扩大其在传统上由欧洲造船商主导的区域市场的份额。

秘鲁将接收一艘3400吨级的导弹护卫舰、一艘2200吨级的近海巡逻舰和两艘1500吨级的登陆舰。当地国有企业Servicios Industriales de la Marina将在其位于卡亚俄的造船厂参与建造这些舰艇。

Joo表示：“我们将确保SIMA造船厂拥有足够的造船能力，并将其打造成为我们在中南美洲的枢纽，该造船厂为我们提供了与地球另一端伙伴合作的机会。”

海军计划替换的六艘2500吨级护卫舰均以意大利“狼”级护卫舰为蓝本；其中两艘产自秘鲁。这些护卫舰大多已服役近五十年。

秘鲁政府于2023年2月批准了护卫舰更换计划，初始预算为1.61亿美元。该计划的研究和讨论始于2015年。2023年7月，SIMA公司被指定为该计划的主承包商。与此同时，西班牙埃斯克里瓦诺机械工程公司（Escribano Mechanical and Engineering）被宣布将作为分包商，负责武器集成工作。

据常驻秘鲁首都利马的独立国防分析师刘易斯·梅希亚斯称，该合同巩固了“秘鲁SIMA造船厂作为南太平洋地区最具实力造船厂之一的领先地位。它还将为其他提供系统、零部件和服务的本地公司创造更多参与机会。这是政府的主要目标之一，旨在实现先进技术的转让，创造新的就业机会，从而增强秘鲁的工业能力，不仅在海事领域，而且在其他领域也是如此。”

一位来自韩国首都首尔的消息人士在匿名的情况下向《防务新闻》透露，现代重工（HHI）即将生产的护卫舰以韩国海军大邱级护卫舰的船体为基础，但根据秘鲁的需求进行了定制。这些定制要求包括扩大舰尾以容纳机库并起降12至14吨级的直升机。该消息人士表示，现代重工计划就该军事项目的具体细节进行讨论。这些要求包括扩大舰尾以容纳机库。

2009 年的一次演习中，秘鲁特种部队部署到秘鲁海军护卫舰“BAP Quiones”号的飞行甲板上。（美国海军首席士官艾伦·格拉格/美国海军）

目前还不清楚秘鲁的这艘船是否会采用与韩国船只相同的柴电燃气联合推进系统。

据消息人士透露，这艘护卫舰将配备三维有源相控阵雷达，但秘鲁尚未做出选择。

消息人士称，韩国韩华公司正在推广 SAQ-600 作战管理系统、SQS-250K 拖曳阵列声呐和 SQS-240K 船体安装式声呐。

消息人士补充说，在武器方面，韩国LIG Nex 1公司和韩华公司提议采用海宫K-SAAM地对空导弹。LIG Nex 1公司则提供SSM-700K C-Star/海星反舰导弹和海龙/海龙陆攻巡航导弹。秘鲁海军预计将为这艘护卫舰配备一门舰炮，可选口径为76毫米/62倍径或127毫米/54倍径。

何塞·伊格拉是《防务新闻》拉丁美洲记者。