[Defense Contribution] K806 Wheeled Armored Vehicle Targets Export to Malaysia

[Monthly Defense Times Editor-in-Chief An Seung-beom] Recently, the Malaysian Army is conducting a next-generation wheeled armored vehicle project to replace its current Scimitar and Condor wheeled armored vehicles. The required quantity is about 400 units, and the project involves introducing 6x6 wheeled armored vehicles.

The main wheeled armored vehicles currently operated by the Malaysian Army are the Belgian-made 6x6 Scimitar, introduced in the late 1970s with 186 units, and the German-made 4x4 Condor with 316 units.

The Belgian-made Scimitar has a combat weight of 14.5 tons, carries 14 personnel including the crew, and there is also a variant equipped with a 90mm low-pressure gun.

The German-made Condor has a combat weight of 12 tons, carries 12 armed personnel, and offers protection against 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds. Over 600 units have been exported to six countries.

The Condor wheeled armored vehicle is well known for being used by the Malaysian peacekeeping forces during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, which was depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down.

The Malaysian Army also possesses tracked armored vehicles, including 267 Turkish ACV-300s and 111 Korean K-200s, and separately holds 257 Turkish 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles AV8. In terms of quantity, the 6x6 and 4x4 wheeled armored vehicles are the main force.

As of August 2021, Hyundai Rotem has entered the export market with the K-806 wheeled armored vehicle, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a test evaluation team visited Korea at the end of 2020.

One characteristic of the Malaysian Army’s wheeled armored vehicle project is that if a foreign company is selected, it is known that a subcontractor will be appointed under the condition of local production.

Hyundai Rotem’s strongest competitors include Turkey’s FNSS and armored vehicle manufacturers from Canada and Indonesia are also entering the competition.

Hyundai Rotem’s K806 armored vehicle was initially supplied to the 37th Division under the 2nd Operational Command’s regional defense division and has also been delivered to the 31st, 32nd, and 39th Divisions.

The powerpack of the K806 armored vehicle combines a 420-horsepower Hyundai H420 engine tuned for military use with a ZF automatic transmission (7 forward gears/1 reverse gear). The same powerpack is installed in the K808 for front-line divisions, the K30W wheeled anti-aircraft gun, and the K877 wheeled command vehicle.

The K806 can travel at a maximum speed of 100 km/h and is known for excellent off-road performance thanks to its automatic tire pressure regulation system.

It provides protection against 12.7mm machine gun fire, and the vehicle’s underside is resistant to anti-personnel mines and small improvised explosive devices. It is equipped with an integrated heating and cooling positive pressure system to counter chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, and also features an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system. The armament of the K806 includes a 7.62mm machine gun and a smoke grenade launcher.

The basic K806 model offers competitive performance and pricing, but the Malaysian Army is requesting a variety of vehicle variants. This situation is similar to when Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) proposed the FA-50 for export to the Malaysian Air Force and was asked to add operational armaments.

We look forward to our defense products being selected in the Malaysian Air Force’s fighter jet procurement project and the Army’s wheeled armored vehicle project in 2022.