Hanwha's Philly Shipyard wins US missile defense vessel contract

Hanwha Group's Philly Shipyard has won a contract to build maritime missile range instrumentation vessels for the US Missile Defense Agency, further cementing its presence in the American shipbuilding market.

Philly Shipyard announced Saturday that it had been selected, alongside US ship management firm TOTE Services, to deliver the MDA's maritime missile range instrumentation vessels, known as MRIVs. The specialized ships track missile trajectories during flight tests, collect telemetry data, and support communications and test-result analysis.

Under the contract, Philly Shipyard will handle vessel construction while TOTE Services serves as vessel construction manager. Delivery of the first ship is scheduled for 2030.

Hanwha did not disclose the contract value or the number of vessels to be built. However, maritime trade publication Maritime Executive reported that the program involves a $2 billion investment for two ships.

Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said at a local event that the new vessels would support US policy to restore maritime dominance while also contributing to the construction of the Golden Dome missile defense system across the country. The Golden Dome project is a next-generation aerial missile defense system the Trump administration is pursuing as a cornerstone of homeland defense.

Philly Shipyard plans to apply the same production lines and supply chain already validated through its previously awarded National Security Multi-Mission Vessel program to the MRIV construction.

The contract win has drawn assessments that Hanwha Group is expanding its position within MARSA, the Korea-US shipbuilding cooperation project. Philly Shipyard also carries symbolic weight as the only US shipyard owned by a Korean company.

President Donald Trump recently mentioned Philly Shipyard, saying many ships would be built there, and noted that the US is also reviewing plans to purchase vessels separately from companies building ships domestically. The Defense Ministry has also sent requests for information on warship design and construction capabilities to both Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy and received responses, according to sources.

Meanwhile, South Korea and the United States have agreed to direct $150 billion of a $350 billion Korean investment commitment toward shipbuilding cooperation, and a Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Center is set to open in Washington on Thursday, July 23.

"Philly Shipyard continues to evolve in pursuit of its ambition to become America's premier shipbuilder," said Michael Coulter, CEO of Hanwha Defense USA.