MADEX 2025: Hanwha Ocean debuts Future Destroyer concept

A model of Hanwha Ocean's Future Destroyer concept on display at MADEX 2025. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean has unveiled a large combatant concept that has been conceived to address upcoming requirements from naval services worldwide, including the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN).

Known as the Future Destroyer, the concept has been designed to deliver a large payload of weapons while reducing its overall radar, acoustic, and infrared signatures.

It will also be equipped with weapon systems that are still presently under development, said a Hanwha Ocean representative who spoke to Janes at MADEX 2025 in Busan.

A main feature of the vessel's form factor is its inverted bow, which has been incorporated to reduce pitching, which provides greater stability to the vessel's sensors and fire-control systems.

This inverted bow also makes it possible to equip the destroyer with more capable sensors in the bow section, including larger hull-mounted sonars, the representative added.

Another distinctive feature of the Future Destroyer is its lack of masts and protruding structures. All main sensors, including its multifunction radars, are incorporated around its superstructure to reduce its visibility.

Similarly, the Future Destroyer is equipped with pod propellers instead of conventional propellers, as it reduces the vessel's acoustic signature and provides its crew with greater manoeuvrability in shallower waters.

All of the Future Destroyer's exhaust inlets are also located close to the waterline instead of on its superstructure to reduce its visibility to heat-seeking and infrared-guided munitions.

In terms of weapons, the Future Destroyer can be equipped with up to 88 vertical launching system (VLS) cells. These are located in the forward section and on the superstructure. These cells can launch a mix of anti-air, anti-ship, and land-attack cruise missiles.