K200 KIFV

K200A1
A South Korean K200A1 at the 2007 Seoul Air Show
Type	armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin	United States, South Korea
Service history
In service	1986 - present
Production history
Designer	Agency for Defense Development
Manufacturer	Hanwha Defense Systems (formerly Doosan DST and originally Daewoo Heavy Industries)
Unit cost	$1.41 million (domestic) $1.32 million (export)
Produced	1985 - Present
No. built	2,383
Specifications
Weight	13.2 tons
Length	5.49 m
Width	2.85 m
Height	2.52 m
Crew	3 + 9 passengers
Main armament	1 x 12.7mm machine gun
Secondary armament	1 x 7.62mm machine gun
Engine	MAN-Doosan D2848T 350 hp (261 kw) at 2,300 rpm
Power/weight	26.5 hp/ton
Transmission	Allison Transmission X200-5K
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	480 km
Speed	70 km/h 6 km/h on water

The K200 KIFV (Korea Infantry Fighting Vehicle) is a South Korean infantry fighting vehicle, originally produced by Daewoo Heavy Industries as a domestic replacement for older armored personnel carriers, such as the M113, in front line service with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces at the time of the K200's development. Since 2009 the K200 has been supplemented by the K21. A total of 2,383 K200 vehicles of all configurations were produced between 1985 and 2006, among which are 111 K200A1 vehicles exported to Malaysia.

The K200 project began in 1981 when the Republic of Korea Army issued a request for a new Korean Infantry Fighting Vehicle (KIFV) to meet future combat requirements. The Agency for Defense Development was in charge of its development, and Daewoo Heavy Industries was the prime contractor for the production of this vehicle. The K200 was designed to be an amphibious personnel carrier that could cross shallow rivers, based on the chassis of the American Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The AIFV itself was based on the M113 armored personnel carrier. The vehicle was developed to be more affordable than the AIFV, but not necessarily sacrificing capability, to gain an edge in cost-effectiveness. The eventual domestic development and production of the K200 achieved a price range of $1.32 million to $1.41 million as opposed to the $1.52 million to $2.83 million price range that a license-production or direct importation of the AIFV would have entailed.

Doosan incorporated the MAN D2848T engine into the K200 under a license-production deal and assimilated its technology using domestic components, a reverse-engineering experience that would prove instrumental in the development of its next IFV, the K21. S&T Dynamics was the licensee subcontractor for the Allison Transmission X200-5K gearbox. The vehicle entered production in 1985. Serial production was completed in 2006.