South Korea goes all out for indigenous AFV production
South Korea’s ambition to be a fully-fledged armoured vehicle manufacturer is gathering momentum, although some hurdles remain.
Underscoring South Korea’s credentials in indigenous AFV production, a contract for a third batch of K806 6x6 and K808 8x8 APCs to equip Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) units was announced on 29 September.
Numbers of vehicles was not divulged, but the contract was worth KRW407.7 billion ($366.9 million) to manufacturer Hyundai Rotem. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said these vehicles will be delivered by 2023.
The ROKA’s overall requirement for wheeled APCs is widely reported as 100 K806s and 500 K808s. Completion of the first KRW26.9 billion batch ordered in 2016 was achieved in 2018, while a second
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