Hanwha Defense, First Production of Korean-Style Self-Propelled River Crossing Equipment

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The military is starting the first production of the Korean-style autonomous crossing equipment necessary for quickly crossing rivers.

On the 20th, Hanwha Defense announced that it has begun production of the first Korean-style autonomous crossing equipment and plans to invest 530 billion KRW by 2027 to deploy it to the Mobile Corps.

Autonomous crossing equipment is operated in the form of boats or bridges to allow mobile units to cross rivers, and it is evaluated to be far superior in mobility, operability, and survivability compared to the existing Ribbon Bridge System (RBS). Compared to the RBS, installation time is reduced by 60-70%, and the number of operating personnel is reduced by up to 80%. Also, unlike the RBS which requires about 6 hours of preparation time, no preparation time is needed, and it can operate even in fast currents during the rainy season. The RBS currently operated by the Army was named because it resembles a ribbon when deployed on rivers; it was developed in the United States in 1972 and was deployed by the Korean military in 1992.

Hanwha Defense plans to produce the domestically developed ‘M3K’ based on the M3 developed by Germany’s GDELS (General Dynamics European Land Systems). The M3 has combat experience from the Iraq War and has been deployed by five countries including the UK, Germany, Taiwan, Singapore, and Indonesia, verifying its operational performance. In 2016, it set the world record for the longest floating bridge by constructing a 350m bridge during NATO’s largest joint exercise (Anaconda).

Hanwha Defense plans to achieve a localization rate of over 90% for the first time through a technology cooperation production project. This project involves domestic companies producing equipment locally with technical support from the original foreign manufacturer. Thirty-five domestic companies, including Heungil Enterprise, are participating in this project to localize 135 core parts such as hull structures, contributing to securing core technologies and creating jobs.

If finally selected as the project operator, Hanwha Defense plans to produce the M3K optimized for the Korean Peninsula operational environment domestically through a technical alliance with GDELS, which holds the original technology in the crossing equipment field, and deliver about 110 units (55 sets, 2 units per set) by 2027.