The South Korean company Hanwha Ocean presented two new conceptual designs for surface warships, largely based on artificial intelligence (AI), at the ADEX 2025 defense exhibition in Seoul.
Focused mainly on the export market, the Ocean-74FN is a 7,400-ton warship with an inverted bow. The Hanwha Ocean project has a length of 145.6 m, a width of 18.8 m and is equipped with a gas turbine power plant on two shafts with five-bladed propellers, which is reported to reach a maximum speed of 27 knots. The Ocean-74FN is equipped with a significant number of offensive and defensive weapons systems that allow it to participate in both naval battles and asymmetric conflicts.
The Ocean-74FN project model
The ship's communications equipment makes it a full-fledged part of a network system that allows high-precision strikes against targets detected by external sources, under the coordination of higher command structures. The project is equipped with a reliable combat control system connected to a satellite system in low Earth orbit. The ship, made using stealth technology, is adapted to interact with uninhabited surface and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Bow gun and VPU
The deck-based weapons systems presented on the demonstration model include a 127-mm bow gun. It is followed by a 48-cell vertical launcher (VPU), consisting of two blocks of six 4-cell KVLS-II modules.
The laser cannon
A laser cannon is located on the superstructure, above the roof of the captain's bridge, directly under the navigation radar.
Surface–to-surface missile launchers and KVLS-II modules
Behind the mainmast are two quadruple launchers for surface–to-surface missiles, pointing left and right, respectively. In normal times, they are lowered, which reduces radar visibility, and they are raised only before launch. Further on, four more KVLS-II modules for 16 more missiles are installed on top of the superstructure.
A sponsor with launchers for UAVs
In a small sponsor, where the exhaust pipes of the turbines exit, there are two rows of four pipes on each side, designed to launch small UAVs.
Hangar and flight deck
There are decoy launchers on the roof of the hangar, and a short–range weapon system in the rear. The flight deck at the stern allows you to receive a medium helicopter or UAV. At the rear of the superstructure, on the port and starboard sides, there are mission compartments, each of which can house one modular unmanned surface vessel.
For conducting underwater warfare, Ocean-74FN is equipped with bow and towed sonar. Moreover, the second one has an active phased array antenna (AFAR), and a four-sided flat radar with AFAR produced by Hanwha Systems, which is also responsible for the combat control system, is visible on the mainmast. AI algorithms are used throughout the ship, which makes it possible to reduce the crew from the usual 200 to 70 people.
"Smart" battleship from Hanwha Ocean
The inverted bow and AI are also distinctive features of the smaller project presented at ADEX– the new-generation marine patrol vessel HSC-2000 (called the "smart" battleship by the media) with a displacement of 2,000 tons. The stealth form resembles the Ocean-74FN. The armament of the demonstration model included a 76-mm cannon in the bow and two 8-cell APUs. According to experts, it could be the MBDA VL MICA air defense system.
The HSC-2000 patrol ship model
On the upper part of the superstructure there are two twin launchers for anti-ship missiles (possibly manufactured by Kongsberg). The aft flight deck can accommodate Seahawk-class helicopters. A small hangar is planned for the use of UAVs. The mission bay on the starboard side is equipped for the use of uninhabited surface and underwater vessels, as well as rigid-hulled inflatable boats. These uninhabited platforms work closely with the ship thanks to the human-machine interface (MUM-T) developed by HanwhaOcean. They also increase the survivability of the HSC-2000, increasing the range of reconnaissance and destruction.
Aft flight deck and mission bay
The core of the smart battleship is an integrated AI-based ship control system, including a combat control system, as well as integrated bridge and mechanism control systems. This comprehensive solution makes it possible to reduce the number of crew from 60-80 people, as on a conventional ship of this class, to 34 people, while 16 additional seats are available for special teams.
It is believed that ship-based sensors (four onboard AFAR radars mounted on a pyramidal mast) and distributed sensors of unmanned platforms, combined with automatic target recognition algorithms, will provide maximum situational awareness and optimize defensive and offensive operations.
The HSC-2000 ship is equipped with a CODAD diesel power plant that drives two shafts. The maximum speed will be 24 knots, and the cruising range at 15 knots will be 5,000 nautical miles. The bow thruster provides maximum maneuverability, and the keel stabilization allows the ship's systems to be operated on the high seas.
The HSC-2000 is a modular and scalable project, so the specified dimensions may change in the future. Currently, the project provides for the creation of a ship with a length of 91.5 m, a width of 14 m and a draft of 3.8 m. Hanwha Ocean is cooperating with the Republic of Korea Navy in developing the concept of a smart battleship. The launch of the first ship of this type is scheduled in five years.
Source: Edrmagazine
