RoKMC aims to equip KAAV7A1 amphibious assault vehicles with RCWS

The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (RoKMC) is aiming to equip its fleet of almost 170 KAAV7A1 amphibious assault vehicles with locally developed remote-controlled weapon stations (RCWSs).

Officials from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) told Janes on 9 March that a contract to meet this requirement is expected to be awarded to Hanwha Defense in the second half of 2021.

A KAAV7A1 amphibious assault vehicle trialling an RCWS developed by Hanwha Defense. (Hanwha Defense)

Janes understands that the RCWS developed by the firm will mount a K4 40 mm high-speed automatic grenade launcher as well as a K6 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. The K4 can fire either KM383 high-explosive (HE) or K212 HE dual-purpose rounds at a cyclic rate of 250 rds/min to an effective range of 1,500 m. The K6 fires at a rate of 450–600 rds/min and has a maximum effective range of 1,830 m, according to Janes Land Warfare Platforms: Armoured Fighting Vehicles.

According to the manufacturer, the RCWS is stabilised and provided with both daytime and thermal infrared night cameras, and an eye-safe laser rangefinder with a maximum range of 5,500 m (18,044.6 ft). The fire-control system provides an automatic target tracking function, as well as automatic ballistic calculation and fire correction functions. The weapon station is also understood to be provided with a meteorological sensor.

The latest developments come as DAPA is expected to issue a request for proposals in the second half of the year for the planned procurement of an RCWS to be installed on RoK Army and RoKMC K808 wheeled armoured vehicles. More than 100 K808s are set to be fitted with an RCWS, according to official sources.