South Korea, through Hanwha Ocean, has made a significant move to supply the Philippines with next-generation KSS-III class attack submarines, marking Manila’s most serious push for undersea modernization to date.
On November 2, 2025, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with Hanwha Ocean executives on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea. The discussion focused on a turnkey submarine package that includes not only the new boats but also submarine base construction, establishing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities, comprehensive training, and technology transfer.
The Proposal’s Core Details
- Submarine Design: The offer centers on the “KSS-III PN,” a design derived from the Republic of Korea Navy’s KSS-III Batch II, powered by lithium-ion batteries. This battery technology, combined with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP), enables longer and quieter submerged endurance.
- Weapons and Capabilities: The KSS-III Batch II design is a heavyweight conventional submarine, displacing about 4,000 tons submerged and measuring approximately 89.4 meters in length. Critically, it features ten Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells, an unusual capability for a conventional submarine, in addition to six 533 mm torpedo tubes. The VLS provides potential for land-attack and strategic signaling.
- Modernization Budget: The submarine line item in the Philippines’ Re-Horizon 3 modernization plan is budgeted at 80 to 110 billion pesos (roughly $1.4 to $2 billion USD) for two boats, basing, and logistics. Hanwha’s commitment to fund basing, MRO, and training aims to significantly lower Manila’s initial barrier to entry.
Competing Bids
Hanwha is not the sole competitor in Manila’s submarine race for its inaugural fleet:
- Naval Group (France): Is promoting its Scorpène Evolved with a full lithium-ion battery configuration and fuel-cell AIP.
- Navantia (Spain): Offers the larger S-80 Plus, which features a third-generation AIP based on bioethanol reforming.
- Fincantieri (Italy) & ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (Germany) Team: Markets the smaller, ultra-quiet U212 NFS (Near Future Submarine), which also combines fuel-cell AIP and lithium-ion batteries.
President Marcos Jr.’s open courting of multiple vendors marks a pivotal shift, elevating the Philippines’ decade-long submarine pursuit into a funded, ten-year procurement frame and signaling the country’s most serious effort to acquire a sub-surface capability.
