A view of Shin Chae-ho, a 3,000-ton diesel submarine, during a ceremony to hand over the to the Navy, at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. in Ulsan, 299 kilometers southeast of Seoul, South Korea. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
April 27 (Asia Today) — HD Hyundai has become the first South Korean company to win key research projects from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, expanding its push into the U.S. Navy market from ship maintenance and repair to research and development.
HD Hyundai said Monday it signed contracts Thursday with the Office of Naval Research for two research projects, including work to improve naval vessel performance.
The office, part of the U.S. Department of the Navy, oversees science and technology research for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Under the contracts, HD Hyundai will carry out a project to improve naval vessel performance using artificial intelligence technology. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Seoul National University’s Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, led by professor Kim Yong-hwan, will jointly develop the technology.
HD Hyundai also won a project to develop technology aimed at improving productivity in naval vessel construction. The research will be conducted by the Future Technology Research Institute of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering.
The contracts make HD Hyundai a key partner in joint research with the U.S. Navy from naval vessel development to construction. The company said the awards are significant because they show U.S. Navy recognition of its advanced naval vessel technology.
“With this Office of Naval Research project, we will further expand cooperation with the United States in the naval vessel sector,” said Joo Won-ho, president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. “With pride as South Korea’s national representative, we will do our utmost to expand the reach of K-maritime defense.”
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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