South Korean defense company Hyundai Rotem and trading firm STX signed a $60 million contract with the Peruvian Army to export K-808 White Tiger (Baekho) 8×8 wheeled armored vehicles on May 21, 2024. The strategic partnership was reached between Peru’s Arms and Ammunition Factory (FAME S.A.C.) and a consortium of the two Korean defense companies and finalized at the Headquarters of the Peruvian Army in Lima. The deal could be expanded to cover 90 more units. Hyundai Rotem will be responsible for producing the eight-wheeled infantry transport vehicles, and STX will be in charge of delivering Hyundai Rotem-made armored vehicles to Peru. A vehicle assembly plant will also be built at FAME headquarters, where a wide range of cutting-edge special units will be produced. It is South Korea’s first export of armored vehicles to Latin America.
Hyundai Rotem said the company would strive to win more export orders for armored vehicles. The Peruvian government currently plans to secure a total of 120 armored vehicles, and Hyundai Rotem is the first company to provide armored vehicles to the country. The company is expected to supply the Peruvian Army with other types of vehicles with different maneuvering systems, ranging from four and six-wheeled armored vehicles to light and heavy tactical vehicles. In April, Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a $463 million deal to build four warships for the Peruvian Navy. The contract was the largest naval ship order placed by a Latin American country with a Korean shipbuilder. The Korean weapon systems maker also expressed hopes that the latest contract would work as a springboard into the wider Latin American defense market.
The K808/806 White Tiger (Baekho) wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC) is family of 8×8 and 6×6 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. 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. Although the two variants share many performance characteristics, they have different concepts of operations: the 16-tonne (17.6-ton) K806 can perform rear-echelon roles such as facility defence and logistics convoy protection, while the 20-tonne (22-ton) K808 can conduct high-intensity combat operations alongside K1A1 and K2 main battle tanks.
The engine is located in the front on the left side, while the driver sits beside the engine to the right. The troop compartment is at the rear, accommodating 10 fully equipped soldiers plus 2 crew members. The vehicle is provided with a remotely controlled weapon station armed with a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher or 12.7 mm machine gun. It can also support a two-man turret, armed with a 30 mm cannon and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. It can also feature a manned weapon station with a 40 mm grenade launcher and 7.62 mm machine gun. In June 2020, Hanwha Defense was given a contract to deliver the 30 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun-Wheeled Vehicle System (AAGW) to the ROK military, a K808 chassis fitted with the twin 30 mm cannon turret of the K30 Biho. The K808/806 has an all-welded armored hull that provides protection against small-arms fire and artillery shell splinters. It is also equipped with the NBC protection system. The 8×8 version is more heavily armored than the 6×6 version.
