HD HHI Submarines in the Poland’s ORKA Program

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries

Established in 1972, Hyundai Heavy Industries (now HD Hyundai Heavy Industries) of the Republic of Korea is an integrated heavy industry company consisting of four business units: civil shipbuilding, naval and special vessels, offshore, and engines and machinery. HHI Group is the leading shipbuilder in terms of the number of vessels built annually and maintains its position at the forefront of the global shipbuilding market. Since the beginning of its operation, the company has delivered a total of 63 warships, including guided missile destroyers with the Aegis system, new generation frigates, corvettes and patrol ships, as well as submarines of several types, to the Korean Navy, as well as to foreign customers. More importantly, in the HHI cooperation model, the delivery of a vessel does not end the cooperation with the customer.

In 2007, the company handed over the first unit with AIP (Air Independence Propulsion) – ROKS Son Won-il – to the South Korean fleet. It was built under a German license (Type 214, referred to by the manufacturer as HDS-1800) and thanks to foreign support at the time, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) is now capable of independently designing and manufacturing submarines equipped with the AIP system. The fact that the Korean tycoon has made good use of the lesson on technology transfer is evidenced by the fact that there are already three KSS-III ships in service with the Republic of Korea Navy, the latest of which was built by HHI. These are modern units with high autonomy and long submerged times, armed with vertical ballistic missile launchers. Today, HD HHI is one of the largest manufacturers of conventional AIP-powered submarines on a global scale.

More than two decades of experience in the construction of AIP submarines (production of the first HDS-1800 began in 2002) make HHI ready to transfer this knowledge to other countries and extensive industrial cooperation. Therefore, in the program of the new Orka submarine, intended for the Polish Navy, HHI can propose not one project, but several. For the time being, the detailed requirements for Orka are not known, but based on the issues raised during the initial market consultations, HHI can offer units of the KSS-III PL type (based on the proven KSS-III Batch 1) and a completely new design: The HDS-2300. In addition, the HHI portfolio includes a number of other, smaller units: HDS-1500, HDS-700 and HDS-500. The latter is already offered as a ready-made project, the others are proposed as part of research and development projects carried out together with the contracting authority.

KSS-III PL – Based on a Proven Platform

The KSS-III Batch-I is the first submarine of this size completely designed in the Republic of Korea. It is a vessel with a surface displacement of over 3300 tons, length of 83.5m, width of 9.6m, underwater speed of 20 knots and autonomy of 50 days. Its armament consists not only of six 533mm torpedo tubes, but it was also decided to equip it with VLS (Vertical Launch System) tubes located in the hull amidships. They enable the launch of ballistic missiles with conventional warheads (SLBMs – Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile) from an underwater position.

On April 4 this year, the Republic of Korea Navy accepted the ROKS Shin Chae-ho submarine, built by HHI at the shipyard in Ulsan. This is the last of the three KSS-III Batch-I units. After the end of this series, the South Korean fleet will receive its modernized version – the KSS-III Batch-II.

KSS-III Batch-II will be an even larger ship with a displacement of about 3,600 tons and a length of 89 meters. It will receive, among other things, an additional four VLS ballistic missile launchers (there will be 10 of them in total). A vessel of this size may have some limitations in operating in shallow waters, including some regions of the Baltic Sea. On the other hand, the base model of Batch-I is smaller, and moreover, due to the fact that the initial market consultations did not indicate that vertical launchers were required, the advantages of Batch-II lose their importance. In addition, the KSS-III PL, i.e. the version without VLS, but with additional equipment, such as a chamber for embarking unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) or special forces equipment required by the Polish Navy, shows more advantages. Lastly, this variant provides more modern lithium-ion cell batteries to replace the lead-acid batteries currently in use, and other innovative, available and proven technical solutions.

At the same time, the KSS-III PL submarine is still a very heavily armed vessel, with six horizontal torpedo tubes that can be used to deploy up to 14 heavy torpedoes, guided anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles and mines. The KSS-III PL could therefore be a compromise between a ship destined for the Baltic Sea and a vessel capable of operating in the so-called blue (open) waters.

HDS-2300 – Optimal Solution for the Baltic Sea

A potentially even more interesting offer, not only from the technical point of view, but also from the industrial point of view, is the new HDS-2300 submarine. The manufacturer does not reveal many technical details of the design. However, it is known that it is to be a vessel displacing about 2,300 tons surfaced, 2,550 tons submerged. The HDS-2300 features a length of 73 meters, a height of 14.4 meters and a width of about 8 meters. The boat will be able to submerge to a depth of well below 250 meters. The surface speed will be over 10 knots, underwater over 20 knots, and the range and autonomy – respectively – over 10,000 nautical miles at 6 knots and 50 days. The pressure hull will have a stepped diameter of 6.6 and 7.6m, and the vessel will receive stern rudders in an X-shape, which is considered to be the optimal solution, especially in shallow waters and with lower salinity than blue waters. The design features fairwater planes.

The drive is to be an electric motor, powered by a lithium-ion cell battery (guaranteeing a much higher capacity and charging speed compared to lead-acid) and an AIP system using electrochemical fuel cells. The combination of lithium-ion and AIP batteries will allow the submarines to remain submerged for up to 20 days, while the new batteries will allow them to maintain higher speeds for longer when needed. In the case of seas such as the Baltic Sea, the duration of submerged stealth is a very important tactical parameter that will be taken into account when selecting a new type of submarine in the Orka program.

HHI has introduced innovations in the area of AIP systems regarding the storage of system reactants. As the manufacturer of six of the nine Type 214 (HDS-1800) submarines for the Republic of Korea Navy and the contractor for major overhaul of these vessels, the company has gained the knowledge to develop hydrogen and oxygen storage technology. Hydrogen is a very important factor in AIP, and the creation of a system to store it on the ship and deliver it to the system is an essential element for the safe operation of AIP. Although electrochemical cell solutions on submarines do not vary much from manufacturer to manufacturer, hydrogen-oxygen installations in each shipyard will be different. HHI has developed its own system in this regard.

The proposed configuration of the HDS-2300 armament is in line with the expectations of the Polish side indicated during the initial market consultations. The HDS-2300 submarine is to be armed with six 533 mm torpedo tubes for heavy torpedoes and guided missiles (anti-ship and cruise missiles), of which it will take a total of 20 (six in the launchers, the rest on the Weapon Handling System [WHS] racks). WHS is being developed together with Babcock International Group (already present on the Polish market thanks to the Miecznik frigate program). The HDS-2300 is characterized by a different layout than the existing system, used, among others, on the larger KSS-III. HHI has adjusted the ammunition storage and reloading lines, significantly reducing the time it takes to reload weapons launchers. This seemingly small change was judged to provide a significant competitive advantage.

The method of acquiring submarines is also to be innovative in our conditions. HHI proposes joint research and development work on the HDS-2300 and adapting it to the requirements of the Polish side. As part of this solution, Poland would acquire intellectual property rights not only in the field of MRO (maintenance, repair and operations, more on this later), but also in terms of the possibility of cooperation in the construction of submarines in the domestic shipyard, which would enable Warsaw to export them in the future. In the case of the Orka program, the issue of time is of great importance, so the question arises about the delivery date of the first ship. The Koreans declare that this may take place in 72 to 80 months from the conclusion of the contract (depending on the Polish equipment requirements). This period includes the time necessary to: design, build and equip the infrastructure; provide training for technical personnel; transfer of the necessary technology, as well as the construction of the ship, crew training and technical acceptance, including all port and sea tests and trials. For comparison, the delivery period of the larger KSS-III is about 100 months, which would mean that Poland may receive the HDS-2300 submarine several months earlier as part of research and development work compared to the delivery date of the existing and proven solution. This is to be possible due to the fact that work on the HDS-2300 has been underway since last year, and the preliminary design of the unit is to be completed by the end of the summer holidays.

No less important factor in favor of the HDS-2300 is the financial side. For the price of one large KSS-III PL, Poland can acquire two HDS-2300 medium-displacement submarines. As for the maintenance costs, they are estimated as four times the price of acquiring the ship, so the HDS-2300 ship is a much more economical solution in this field. This is a key issue, because the annual maintenance of the submarine is calculated at about 14% of the purchase cost. Therefore, it is necessary to choose not only the best ship, but also the optimal industrial offer.

Technology Transfer & MRO

HHI offers long-term cooperation between Korean and Polish industrial entities, the inclusion of Polish subcontractors in the supply chain and the transfer of the widest transfer of technology and know-how in the field of submarine construction and maintenance. In the case of the HDS-2300, we could also take over the intellectual rights to the project and benefit from the transfer of technology for self-construction and then service, due to the fact that 100% of the ownership rights in the design belong to HHI. By comparison, the ownership rights to the KSS-III project belong to the South Korean government, so some restrictions in this regard should be taken into account.

Over the past few months, HHI representatives have held a number of meetings and talks with their counterparts from the Polish industry, visited shipyards in Gdynia (PGZ Stocznia Wojenna Sp. z o.o.) and Gdańsk (Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A.) in order to learn about their potential and capabilities. At this stage, their production capacity was highly rated, indicating that it would be possible to assemble the first ship in the Polish shipyard. This does not mean that investments in infrastructure are not necessary, especially when it comes to the specific requirements related to the construction of submarines. HHI emphasizes, however, that it already has extensive experience and successes, which are related to the transfer of technology and know-how as well as support in the construction of shipyards in Saudi Arabia or Vietnam. The Koreans declare that they can cooperate with both state-owned companies, e.g. PGZ Naval Shipyard, with which they have already concluded a cooperation agreement (Memorandum of Understanding), as well as private ones, pointing to Remontowa Shipbuilding.

HHI has experience in the field of production technology transfer and MRO that can be replicated in Poland. An example is the cooperation with the Republic of the Philippines. In 2016. Manila has ordered two HDF-2600 multi-role frigates from HHI. Following this, in 2021, a contract was concluded for a pair of HDC-3100 frigates, and a year later, the Philippines bought six HDP-2200 class maritime patrol ships. These agreements go beyond simple acquisition projects and are an example of active technology transfer. First, HHI launched a Logistic Lifetime Support (LSS) Center at its shipyard in Subic, Philippines, in November 2022. After that, in March 2024, it opened an MRO office in Manila with the goal of implementing the Korean shipyard’s functional system. The essence of LSS is to reduce costs through material and parts management. Finally, local workers in the Philippines were hired to build their own warships and adopt manufacturing processes, which is considered the most perfect method of technology transfer. HD Hyundai Group has hired more than 4,000 local workers, of which more than 50 Filipinos are working in the warship program. This not only helps in gaining knowledge, but also contributes to local economic development.

If the HDS-2300 type vessel is selected, Poland may become the owner of intellectual property rights not only in the field of MRO, but also in production, which in the future would enable its export of submarines. The scope of technology transfer and know-how, due to the fact that HHI has full ownership rights, will ensure the highest possible level of independence both in the production and maintenance of ships, minimizing dependence on foreign entities and allowing for further development of the platform and systems based on Polish-Korean cooperation.