Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced that K808 armored personnel carriers successfully completed field trials and are now considered combat ready. In March 2018, Hyundai Rotem delivered initial batch of 16 K808 wheeled armored personnel carriers after signing of contract with the army in December 2016. Since then, extensive field trials were conducted between April and August to determine combat readiness of the delivered vehicles. Now that they have passed field trials, K808 APCs will begin mass deployment by the end of this year.
Initial batch of K808 armored personnel carriers delivered in March 2018.
Photo Credit: jkos.kr
K808 was developed using indigenous technology as a cost-effective measure to army's service-wide mechanization effort to increase mobility and protection of infantry units. As discussed in previous blog post about army's Warrior Platform initiative, army's size will significantly decrease in the immediate future due to low birthrate. Army feels the need to be as efficient as it can with its dwindling manpower, and introduction of these armored personnel carriers is part of the solution. K808 will boost all-weather operational capability of infantry units, which have traditionally operated on foot or on unarmored trucks.
South Korean soldiers riding on unarmored Kia K511 trucks in Paju.
Photo Credit: AP Photo
K808 weighs 17.5 tons and has complement of two crewmember and carrying capacity of 10 fully-equipped infantry. It's is equipped with runflat tire, tire pressure regulator, driver's thermal periscope, rear camera, automatic fire suppresion system, and independent suspension. It offers protection against 14.5mm armor-piercing rounds, artillery fragments, and 6 kg mine blast. Its 420 hp engine allows for on-road maximum speed of 100 km and twin water jets allow amphibious operations at a maximum speed of 10 km. K808 is armed with a set of K6 caliber heavy machine gun and K4 automatic grenade launcher, but it can also be equipped with variety of turrets if need be.
K808 armed with a remote-controlled 20mm autocannon.
Photo Credit: Hyundai Rotem
A smaller 6x6 variant known as K806 was also developed concurrently. K806 weighs 16 tons and can carry 9 soldiers. It offers protection against 12.7mm armor piercing rounds and is armed with a K12 general-purpose machine gun.
K806 armored personnel carrier.
Photo Credit: Hyundai Rotem
K806 will be used for internal security and base defense roles during wartime, replacing the aging KM900 armored personnel carriers, unarmored trucks, and tracked K200 armored personnel carrier. They will be used to rapidly respond against enemy infiltrators and to defend key strategic facilities, such as airfields and powerplants. Meanwhile, K808 will be used by infantry units in frontline combat.
A total of 500 K808 and 100 K806 will be deployed by 2023. Unit cost of K808 is approxmiately 1.2 billion won ($1.06 million) and is said to be highly competitive in the export market due to its cost effectiveness.
Footage from K808 field trials.
Video Credit: Defense Acquisition Program Administration
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