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Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA), a subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace, has secured a $269 million contract to build a medium landing ship (LSM) for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, marking its first vessel-building contract for the U.S. Navy since acquiring the Philly Shipyard in 2024. Yonhap reports the deal was announced on Oct. 30, with KBS World noting it was confirmed Friday local time. The contract follows HDUSA's recent move to take control of Hanwha Philly Shipyard in an internal restructuring, as reported by the Korea Times and Yonhap on Oct. 27-28. Korean media frame this as a milestone for the country's defense industry, with Business Korea separately noting Korean shipyards have won maintenance contracts for at least six U.S. Navy cargo ships over the past two years. Korean reactions, as reflected in business outlets, emphasize the strategic expansion of Korean defense firms into the U.S. naval market, though no direct blog or café commentary is available in the supplied documents.