Hanwha Ocean Inks MOUs With Naval Group, MBDA, Cohort

SOUTH Korean shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean, signed strategic memoranda of understanding (MOU)  with three partners–MBDA, Naval Group and Cohort. The agreements aim on collaborating to deliver high-performance naval solutions for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), allowing Hanwha Ocean to provide optimal, combat-proven solutions for the RTN’s second frigate programme.

Hanwha Ocean successfully delivered the RTN’s first frigate, HTM Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2018 and is hoping to continue its momentum and propose its highly capable selection of ships and underscore its role as a long-term and trusted partner for the RTN. Hanwha displayed its 2,000-tonne offshore patrol vessels (OPV), multi-role support ships and 2,000-tonne submarine platforms to Thailand with  the company’s 4,000-tonne class frigate in the spotlight.

Showcased under the theme “Game Changer at Sea – Unmatched Lethality, Seamless Combat Readiness”, the 4,000-tonne frigate proposed to the RTN builds upon the legacy of the 2018 delivery, with an upgraded design that upsizes from 3,750 tonnes to 4,000 tonnes and provides enhanced blue-water operational capability beyond coastal defence.

The frigate features advanced weapon and sensor systems, next-generation stealth design, and integration of unmanned platforms to support multi-domain missions.

Armed with advanced missile systems, naval guns, and torpedoes, the frigate delivers enhanced lethality through cutting-edge sensors that improve surveillance, targeting, and threat detection.

The kingdom previously approved the procurement of two new frigates with a budget of US$1.08 billion with the RTN likely to acquire one frigate for US$540 million for the fiscal year of 2026. With a fleet of four frigates at this time, the RTN is expecting a need for eight frigates to maintain its presence in the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea.