K21

K21
K21 on combat firing practice
TypeInfantry fighting vehicle
Place of originSouth Korea
Service history
In service2009–present
Production history
DesignerAgency for Defense Development
Designed1999–2008
ManufacturerHanwha Defense (originally Daewoo Heavy Industries, later renamed as Doosan DST, follow by Hanwha Defense Systems)
Unit cost$3.2 million
Produced2009–present
No. built466[1]
Specifications
Mass25.6 t (25.2 long tons; 28.2 short tons)
Length6.9 m (23 ft)
Width3.4 m (11 ft)
Height2.6 m (8.5 ft)
Crew3 crew + 9 passengers

Armor2519 aluminium alloy chassis. Layers consisting of S2 glass fiber reinforced Al2O3 ceramic armour

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
SNT Dynamics K40 40 mm autocannon (240 rounds)[2]
Two Raybolt ATGM launchers (planned)
Secondary
armament
7.62 mm M60 GPMG
EngineDoosan- D2840LXE diesel
750 hp (840 hp for the PIP)
Power/weight29.2 hp/tonne
SuspensionPassive in-arm suspension unit (ISU)
Operational
range
500 km (310 mi)
Maximum speed 70 km/h (43 mph) (road)
40 km/h (25 mph) (cross-country)
7 km/h (4.3 mph; 3.8 kn) (water)

The K21 is a South Korean infantry fighting vehicle. A replacement for the K200-series, it was formerly designated as K300 or XK21 KNIFV (Korea Next-generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle). The initial production began in 2009, 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.[3]

  1. ^ "K 21 보병전투차 120여대 추가 양산". 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Guns & Artillery Systems" (PDF). SNT Dynamics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  3. ^ "K-21 K21 Doosan tracked armoured infantry fighting technical data sheet description information UK". Archived from the original on 26 October 2018.

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