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K200 KIFV

1985 COLD WAR MODERN

K200 KIFV History

Bordering the unpredictable North Korea, South Korean troops have been on standby since the end of the Korean War (1950-1953) - no treaty was signed, only a ceasefire ended the fighting. As a result, his army had to invest long-term in modernization and acquisition programs to repel any attempted invasion from the north.

The U.S. M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) has been the Army's mainstay for transporting troops to and from the front line for many years, which culminated in work in the early 1980s to replace aging stock replacements with more modern replacements - although still partially based on the M113.

This laid the foundation for the later K200 KIFV ("Korean Infantry Fighting Vehicle").

The vehicle was designed by the Defense Development Agency and manufactured by Daewoo Heavy Industries (Doosan Group) from 1985 to 2006, with a total of 2,383 vehicles. The vehicle retains many of the classic M113's design lines, field capabilities and versatility, but with some changes to meet the needs of the South Korean Army.

The powerplant becomes a German MAN series diesel (locally manufactured, licensed), and the automatic transmission system uses gears of British origin. The vehicle is suspended on a torsion bar assembly for the desired off-road handling characteristics.

The basic crew consists of three, and the passenger seat can accommodate up to nine combat-ready troops. The main entry and exit is through a large electric door in the rear of the fuselage, which also serves as a loading ramp. Since the doors and passenger compartment are in the rear, the engine is in the front right of the fuselage and the driver can sit in the front left.

The standard armament becomes a heavy 12.7mm machine gun for local anti-air and light anti-tank defense (gun positions are protected by a shield array). Secondary armament includes a 7.62mm machine gun for use against enemy infantry.

A row of six electric smoke grenade launchers is mounted above the bow, allowing the crew to generate their own protective smoke screen if needed.

Road speeds of up to 70 km/h and a range of up to 480 km. This fully amphibious vehicle can traverse water on its own at a speed of 6 km/h.

The original production model was simply referred to as the K200. Then follow the NBC (Nuclear Biochemistry) platform K216 with special equipment. The K221 is a specialized smoke-generating model, while the K242 is a 4.2-inch mortar delivery vehicle. The K255 is an ammunition resupply model intended for the Army's 155mm Self-Propelled Artillery (SPA) fleet. The K263 "Cheongoong" uses the KM167A1 (licensed M167 "Vulcan") 20mm mini-gun for anti-aircraft roles.

The K277 was equipped with additional equipment as a command post vehicle, and the K281 became another mortar carrier, this time with an 81mm system. The K288 is a form of Armored Rescue Vehicle (ARV).

Finally, Daewoo returned to the army with the improved K200A1. This introduced a more powerful 350 hp MAN-Doosan D2848T engine mated to an Allison Transmission X200-5K transmission. An improved (automatic) fire protection system was also installed, along with a revised ABC kit.

The K242A1 became a 4.2" mortar ship, while the K263A1 was a 20mm anti-aircraft variant - the latter was later upgraded to the K263A1 standard and later to the K263A3 standard. The K281A1 is an 81mm mortar carrier, while the K288A1 is an ARV form.

K200 was exported to Malaysia from only 111 specimens belonging to the K200A1 variety. The K200 has since been replaced by the Doosan K21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), which entered service in 2009 and is detailed elsewhere on this website.