Maro.kyo

Japanese APS research prototype from ATLA's Reiwa 4 (2022) promotion video. (I've set the youtube embedded link to start at the point when the prototype is shown at 5:14)

Hanwha missile(Taipers) carrier proposal using K21 chassis. Redback chassis + K21 turret with missile launcher.

Some updates regarding K2PL on MSPO https://mspo.defence24.pl/na-ladzie/mspo-2023-aktywna-ochrona-proponowana-dla-polskich-czolgow Trophy APS, additional frontal and side armor and enlarged turret rear compartment where the toolboxes were moved. The device in front of the RCWS is anit-drone jammer.

Long story short, it has to go further tests that it wasn't able to pass before. There have been signifcant changes to the transmission though. The details I've outlined in the previous page.

@sunday You're very welcome!

Also, since this thread is a general Korean AFV thread, I think it is worth reminding members that there are separate threads for some well-known, individual Korean AFVs. K2 Black Panther : K21 NIFV: K9 Thunder: AS21 Redback : So as a collective effort of keeping where stuff belongs, I hope that we could post in corresponding threads. Thank you.

As you can see, company with the most active and to an extent, interesting development activities is the STX Engine. One thing to note is that the restructuring of Korean military engine manufacturing industry is for the healthier industry structures, since Doosan and STX corporate practices and management were... questionable, to put it lightly. One of the biggest drawback the Korean military and defence sector faced when they were starting to develop their own engines was that two companies with most expertise in the powertrain industries in Korea, namely Hyundai-Kia Motor Group and HHI were not interested in military powertrain business. This meant they had to go with a sub-standard option that was Doosan. Recently, it seems like the mood has changed a bit with growing export success. Regarding SMV1000, I'll be posting updates regarding programme status whenever there's any news available in the respective thread : 6/6

Talking about SNT Dynamics and their transmission business: After meeting significant hurdles in the development of EST15K with numerous design and manufacturing defects, EST15K was not included in K2 powerpack up until now. During the 2015~21 period SNT furthuer developed major transmission components that were imported from Germany before, which consists of range pack, HSU, TCU, retarder and brake. After localisation of major components, their current focus is getting EST15K back on test evaluation pipeline so that it's certified for Korean military standard and cleared for 4th batch of K2 production for ROKA. The programme approval was given for the production of around 150 new K2s earlier this year in May, but it is still undecided if the SNT transmission will be included or not. Currently EST15K is under test and evaluation under two separate entities of Turkish SSB-Turkish Army and Korean DAPA-ROKA. The former is for the aforementioned Korean powerpack export deal for Altay and the latter for 4th batch production of K2. 5/6

Hyundai-Doosan Infracore on the otherhand has traditionally been a license producer of MAN engines, as its legacy of Daewoo-MAN would hint. Daewoo-Man produced number of MAN engines for use in their Buses and Trucks as well as some earlier Korean tracked vehicles like K200 and after Daewoo-MAN was taken over by Doosan Doosan Infracore they have continued to produce license produced MAN engines for newer AFVs like the K21. 1) Their first endevour into indigenous design was DV27K engine for the K2. If you know some programme history regarding XK-2 programme, you'd know there were various problems regarding the development of both the engine and the transmission. They've mostly sorted out the problems concerning the engine and have been using it for production K2s for a while since. Turkey has also signed a deal to import the DV27K engine alongside SNT transmission after failing to secure alternative supplier for the Altay engines for several years after Germany embargoed the export of Europowerpack. Korean powerpack is a stopgap until their own local powerpack developed by BMC is ready, but there's an option for more engines and transmission in case there's a delay with the local product 2) DV27K is also known to be the basis of Hyundai-Doosan Infracore's proposal for the KAAV-II programme. Although the prototype is meant to be handed over to ROKMC by next year for IOT&E, not much information has been revealed regarding the current programme status, including which company(STX or HDI) has been chosen as the programme supplier. I personally bet that HDI would've bagged the deal but that we'll see. 4/6

https://imgur.com/a/42jfCoM STX Engine military heavy engine development business plan 3/6

Now coming back to contemporary local engine programmes, there are several to mention: As for STX Engines, they were the ones who have license produced MTU engines for ROKA tracked vehicles, such as for K1, K2 and K9, as well as for the ROKN for their surface and submarine combatants (they also have their foot in naval sensor business, supplying ROKN with naval radars and sonars). One of the exception was Detroit Diesel 8V71T that they've license produced for use in K55 SPH. As such, their current engine programmes are largely based on MTU designs they've previously licensed produced. Though since their current engine programmes are not a MTU-STX joint programme, they have significantly altered internal strucutures, including engine block and piston dimensions, to meet increased requirements and avoid IP infringement disputes. 1) First example of such MTU engine based STX model was SMV1360, an engine based on MTU MB871 Ka-501 engine. It is a 1360ps engine as the name suggests, and accomodates improvements ranging from CRDI, new HP fuel pump and pipe for CRDI, crankshaft, piston, turbocharger, etc. It has become heavier and is now 2460kg, a 110kg increase from from MB871. The block is also now square instead of the long-stroke dimension of MB871. Development started in 2016 and is funded by DAPA. It was undergoing reliability tests as of last year and should've been completed by the year's end, although not much information has emerged since then. From what is known, STX Engine is offering SMV1360 for the planned K1E2 and K1A3 upgrade programmes. 2) Their next engine programme under development is SMV1000, an engine based on MT881 Ka-500 engine in use for K9 SPH family of vehicles. This programme was awarded in 2021 and is funded by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Programme end is planned for 2026. They're hoping that this would boost export opportunities in the ME region which has already seen 2 separate instances in which the German governemnt blocked the export of powertrain components of K9 and K2. 3) Apart from these programmes, they have been known to have been competing against Hyundai-Doosan Infracore for the KAAV-II programme, a Korean EFV equivalent amphibious assault vehicle programme. KAAV-II engine will be a sea water-cooled engine having maritime output of over 2000ps and under 1000ps on land. More on it below. 4) Apart from those 3 official programmes mentioned above, their next focus lies on replacing K21, K30, K31, etc engines with STX developed local engine dubbed the SMV750, also called SMV-MK. This engine currently has no official government support. 2/6

I've glanced over this post the last time I've visited this thread, so I'll give some updates now. Better later than never I guess? Before heading in, there are currently 3 comapnies involved in tracked vehicle powerplant production in Korea. These are two engine companies: STX Engine (currently owned bu UAMCO, an asset management company, after STX group went insolvent) Hyundai-Doosan Infracore (acquired by HD Hyundai Group, which in turn was formerly known as HHI Group. Doosan Infracore itself was formerly Daewoo-MAN, which was acquired by Doosan after Daewoo Group went insolvent) and a transmission company: SNT Dynamics (former S&T Heavy Industries) which have license produced and developed all transmissions that are locally produced and equipped in every ROKA armored vehicles currently in service As for wheeled vehicles, Hyundai sources all of its engine and transmission on their own from their heavy-duty vehicles division. It is hereby important to note that there are two Hyundais, separate from one another: The first is Hyundai Motor Group, or HMG in short. This is the Hyundai you are probably familiar of with Hyundai, Kia and Genesis consumer vehicles on the road as well possibly some of their buses and trucks. HMG is also the company which owns Hyundai Rotem, the biggest rolling stock manufacturer in Korea. They are the ones who manufacture Korean highspeed rail rollingstocks, the KTX rollingstocks. As a military enthusiast you would probably know by now that Hyundar Rotem is the one that have manufactured K1 and manufactures K2. The second Hyundai is HD Hyundai Group, which was formerly known as Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, HHI in short. You should know them if you're in shipping/shipbuilding industries. As the name suggests, they are industrial conglomerate specialised in heavy industries sector, their cornerstone business being shipbuilding and ship equipment manufacturing alongside construction equipment manufacturing. They are also in other heavy industries sector like aerospace, construction, etc. HD Hyundai owns Hyundai-Doosan Infracore, whom you'd know as the developer and manufacturer of Korean DV27K V12 1500ps Diesel engine for the K2. These two Hyundais were formerly under one umbrella, but were split up, alongside various other, so-called "Pan-Hyundai family" conglomerates, when its founder Chung Ju-Yung died and its kids started a serious inheritance dispute, often named "War of the Princes" from historical context in which how royal decendants fighted over their inheirtance for throne. Anyways, this is not the topic for this thread so I can elaborate further when I have the chance. It's just good to know that those two are separate companies in understanding Korean defence industry structure. 1/6

Composite rubber tracks really are something aren't they. Anyways, just from political and industrial standpoint, I think Redback was inevitable, unless they were seriously okay with letting Hanwha shutting down the Geelong plant just after few years of operations, having just produced 45 vehicles in total. That especially considering they also invested some public funds for its construction. As for the "trials" in Poland, which I think "demonstration" would be more fitting, was just around a week, afaik. Also, details are as Damian notes. As for XM30 MICV, iirc it is not exactly "AS21" that they are offering, but an Oshkosh model based on the AS21. It's not that weird to consider the case, say in which Oshkosh-Hanwha's offer was not as attractive as Rheinmetall's. As for the Land 400 Redback, it's going to be T2000 from what I know.

That's fair enough. I'll continue to look for the source of Type 10's field module replacement capability, since I'm quite certain that I've seen JGSDF demonstrating field module separation and someone uploaded the video of it. Should I find it I'll share it here. Cheers

m2020 aps.webm Footage of M2020 firing its gun and showing the NK Drozd-like APS in action against RPG.