The Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) has deployed a wheeled command post vehicle (CPV) to the service’s 25th Infantry Division in Yangju, located 30 km north of Seoul, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The vehicle – deployed for the first time with the RoKA – can protect against firearms; artillery; and chemical, biological, and radiological attacks. The vehicle replaces tent-type field command posts, which take too long to install and dismantle and are vulnerable to a variety of attacks. South Korea plans to deploy nearly 600 vehicles by 2029 to the RoKA and RoK Marine Corps units that are operating command post tents.
DAPA signed contracts worth KRW700 billion (USD530 million) in June 2023 and KRW55.3 billion in June 2022 with Hyundai Rotem to procure an undisclosed number of K808 KW2 Command Post Vehicles. The CPV – development of which started in 2017 and ended in 2020 – is based on the design of K808 wheeled armoured vehicle (WAV). The vehicle features command-and-control (C2) systems such as the Army Tactical Command and Control Information System (ATCCIS) and the Battalion Battle Command System (B2CS), DAPA said. The vehicle is also equipped with a central tyre inflation system (CTIS) and a water navigation device for crossing operations.
The K808/806 wheeled armored personnel carrier is family of 6X6 and 8X8 armored vehicles. Developed by Hyundai Rotem as a private venture in 2012, the Korean Army declared a plan to acquire 600 6X6 and 8X8 wheeled APCs in order to help build rapid response forces molded after U.S. Stryker combat brigades. 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.
The vehicles was fitted with a Hyundai diesel engine developing 380 hp, but later this engine was replaced with another Hyundai engine developing 420 hp with a 7-speed transmission and 2-mode secondary transmission. This engine is used in 8X8 configuration. The vehicle has an automatic drive-line management system, central tire inflation system, and run-flat tires. The K808 is fully amphibious, propelled by two water jets, but the K806 is not. The K808/806 has an all-welded armored hull that provides protection against small-arms fire and artillery shell splinters. It can be fitted with add-on armor for a higher level of protection. Troops enter and exit the vehicle via a rear automatic ramp in addition to 4 roof hatches.
