Korea Aerospace Industries and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said Tuesday that they signed a strategic partnership to cooperate in developing maritime training systems, teaming up to advance South Korea’s competitiveness in the global warship market.

According to the two companies’ announcement, KAI and HD HHI plan to develop maritime training systems based on battleship and submarine business. They will also work together to draft and expand training systems for advancing existing battleships and new warships, as well as crewed and uncrewed operation systems.

The two companies said they will push for joint marketing efforts to strengthen bidding competitiveness with the training systems when trying to export battleships. The cooperation between KAI, a leader in Korea’s simulator development sector, and HD HHI, a global powerhouse in shipbuilding, is expected to create various business opportunities.

Based on its aircraft training systems, KAI developed operation training systems for the Korean Navy’s Jangbogo-III submarines in 2018 and came up with simulators for the Korean Navy’s Landing Ship Fast-II in 2021. A KAI official said the two companies with cutting-edge technologies in aerospace and shipbuilding will create synergy.

HD HHI has completed the projects of building the Jeongjo the Great, Korea’s first 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer, and the Chungnam frigate. The shipbuilder has recently participated in the bidding for Poland’s submarine procurement notice known as the Orka project. An HD HHI official said the training systems will contribute to maximizing battleship crew members’ teamwork and operational abilities based on low-cost, high-efficiency simulation.