South Korean company Hyundai Rotem announced on 29 September that it has secured a KRW407.7 billion (USD348.6 million) contract for the production of a third batch of K806 and K808 wheeled armoured combat vehicles for the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA). Awarded by the Korea Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the contract requires deliveries to be completed by 2023, said the company in a statement without revealing the number of vehicles ordered. The RoKA needs at least 100 units of the K806 6×6 wheeled armored vehicles, and at least 500 units of the larger K808 8×8 wheeled armored vehicles.
The K806 and K808 series of wheeled armored vehicles was developed by Hyundai Rotem to replace older tracked armored vehicles in service with the ROKA. The K806 was designed for mobile strike and reconnaissance missions. Meanwhile the K808 was designed for troop deployment in front line areas, and is capable of amphibious operations, with a maximum speed on water at 10 kilometers per hour. Both models are equipped with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun with a one-man protected weapon station, powered by a 420 hp Hyundai Motor Company diesel engine and have central tire inflation system and run-flat tires. It can also be equipped with larger weapon systems, including 30mm guns and air defense systems.
The K806 and K808 wheeled armored personnel carrier is family of 6×6 and 8×8 armored vehicles. Developed by Hyundai Rotem as a private venture in 2012, the Korean Army declared a plan to acquire 600 6×6 and 8×8 wheeled APCs in order to help build rapid response forces molded after U.S. Stryker combat brigades, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). Hyundai Rotem, a (subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group), made the K808/806 in competition with the Doosan Black Fox and Samsung Techwin MPV, and eventually won the competition. In September 2018, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced Hyundai Rotem would begin mass-producing the K806 and K808 vehicles later in the year.
Hyundai Rotem K806 and K808 Variants
KW1 medical evacuation vehicle (MEV), based on the 6×6 chassis.
KW1 Armored Combat Vehicle (ACV), based on the 6×6 chassis.
KW1 Mobile Gun System (MGS), armed with 90 mm gun, based on the 6×6 chassis.
KW2 8×8 armored personnel carrier (APC), based on the 6×6 chassis.
KW2 Jupiter 8×8 fire support vehicle, armed with a 120 mm gun, based on the 8×8 chassis.
KW2 30 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, based on the 8×8 chassis.
KW2 120 mm mortar carrier, based on the 8×8 chassis.
KW2 Command Post, based on the 8×8 chassis.
KW2 Anti-Tank Vehicle, features RWS with 30 mm cannon and two Raybolt ATGMs, based on the 8×8 chassis.