The industry giant Hyundai Rotem has announced that it had a new contract for supply additional armored personnel carriers to the Republic of Korea Army.
The details were given in a 29 September media release, to announce that Hyundai Rotem has signed a contract worth 407.7 billion won ($348.4 million) with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to supply K806 and K808 wheeled armored vehicles by 2023.
As noted by the company, it will mass-produce the third batch of K806 and K808 armored personnel carriers to DAPA by 2023.
Hyundai Rotem won the order for the first batch worth 26.9 billion won in 2016 and completed the delivery in 2018. It also grabbed the order for the second batch worth 412.9 billion won in 2017 and aims to complete the delivery within this year.
“Based on its know-how from the mass production of the first and the second batches, Hyundai Rotem will supply high-quality armored vehicles for the third batch,” a company official said.
The wheeled armored personnel carrier is a family of 6×6 and 8×8 armored vehicles that are fitted with a 420 ps diesel engine developed by Hyundai Motors, 7-speed transmission and 2-mode secondary transmission.
The new infantry combat vehicle capable of moving on both land and water, it has been engineered to maximize crew operability with its ergonomic design and scalability to family vehicles.
Armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun and fitted with a central tire inflation system and run-flat tires, the K806 model for the defense of rear areas and the protection of convoys can run at a maximum road speed of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour with up to nine fully-armed soldiers aboard.
The larger and amphibious K808 model operates in frontline areas. The amphibious speed on water is up to 10 km/h. Depending on customer requirements, it can support a turret armed with a 30 mm cannon, or other weapons.
