K21

K21
K21 on combat firing practice
Type	Infantry fighting vehicle
Place of origin	South Korean
Service history
In service	2009-present
Production history
Designer	Agency for Defense Development
Designed	1999-2008
Manufacturer	Hanwha Defense Systems (formerly Doosan DST)
Unit cost	3.2 million
Produced	2009-present
Specifications
Weight	25.6 t (25.2 long tons; 28.2 short tons)
Length	6.9 m (23 ft)
Width	3.4 m (11 ft)
Height	2.6 m (8.5 ft)
Crew	3 crew + 9 passengers
Armor	2519 aluminium alloy chassis. Layers consisting of S2 glass fiber reinforced Al2O3 ceramic armor All round protection against 14.5×114mm API projectiles as well as 20 mm FSP Frontal armour is resistant to 30 mm APDS rounds fired from a 2A72 autocannon (standard on BMP-3 turrets) Roof armour is resistant to 155 mm artillery shell fragments Soft- and hard-kill anti-missile defense systems, ERA, NERA (only for the K21 PIP)
Main armament	K-40 40 mm Autocannon 700 round maximum, 80 round basic Two Hyungung ATGM launchers (planned)
Secondary armament	7.62 mm M60 MG
Engine	Doosan- D2840LXE diesel 740 hp (840 hp for the PIP)
Power/weight	29.2 hp/tonne
Suspension	In-arm Suspension Unit
Operational range	500 km (310 mi)
Speed	70 km/h (43 mph) (road) 40 km/h (25 mph) (cross-country) 7 km/h (4.3 mph; 3.8 kn) (water)

2519 aluminium alloy chassis. Layers consisting of S2 glass fiber reinforced Al2O3 ceramic armor

All round protection against 14.5×114mm API projectiles as well as 20 mm FSP

Frontal armour is resistant to 30 mm APDS rounds fired from a 2A72 autocannon (standard on BMP-3 turrets)

Roof armour is resistant to 155 mm artillery shell fragments

K-40 40 mm Autocannon

A replacement for the South Korean K200-series infantry fighting vehicles, formerly designated as K300 or XK21 KNIFV (Korea Next-generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle), is currently called the K21. The initial production was set for 2008, with the Republic of Korea Army planning to field approximately 466 units. It is designed to effectively defeat other IFVs as heavily armed and armored as the BMP-3.

Development began in 1999. A $77 million contract was awarded to Doosan DST for the NIFV prototype in 2003. Three prototype vehicles were delivered to the ROK Army in 2005. A contract for the first batch of K21 vehicles was signed in October 2008 worth $386.7 million. Production began in November 2009 after a ten-year development period. K21s will be deployed from 2013 through 2016.

The K21 KNIFV's chassis is constructed entirely out of fiberglass, reducing the weight of the vehicle and enabling it to travel at higher speeds without bulky and powerful engines. The NIFV is to be lighter than other IFVs, including the American Bradley series, increasing both speed and payload.

The design was finally deemed production-ready in 2009, following 10 years in development and a research budget expenditure of approximately USD $80 million. More than 85% of the vehicle's design is domestic. However a redesign is in order following the sinking of two vehicles while engaged in amphibious operations, a board of inquiry found that the problem was a lack of buoyancy, a malfunctioning wave plate and a technical problem with the drain pump, all of which will be corrected for in the new design.

The two-man turret on the K21 is armed with an S&T Dynamics K40 40 mm cannon capable of firing APFSDS, high-explosive, smoke and multipurpose munitions, and a 7.62 mm machine gun. This is combined with an advanced fire-control system and gun stabilizer usually found on third-generation main battle tanks that makes the K21, together with the German Puma, able to move and engage the targets with high degree of accuracy at the same time. The ammunition for the autocannon is stored under the turret. The 40 mm cannon can fire up to 300 rounds per minute, with a projectile velocity of up to 1,005 m/s (3,300 ft/s). The improved APFSDS rounds fired from it is able to penetrate up to 160–220 mm (6.3–8.7 in) of armor, slightly higher than other APFSDS rounds, due to the self-sharpening process as the round penetrates the armour.