Hyundai Rotem's new N-WAV was designed to improve upon the RoK Army's K808 White Tiger armoured fighting vehicles. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)
Hyundai Rotem has unveiled a prototype of its next-generation N-WAV (wheeled armoured vehicle) for the first time at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023.
The new 30 ton-class armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is capable of being launched from amphibious assault vessels and has improvements from the previous K808 White Tiger 8ร8 AFV following recommendations from the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA), a company representative told Janes on 19 October.
The N-WAV is currently a technical prototype, the company representative added.
โEvery aspect of the earlier K808 AFV in service with the Republic of Korea Army was improved to create the N-WAV,โ the representative said.
Major improvements comprise a new turret with a 30 mm cannon, a new 700 hp diesel engine, and enhanced amphibious assault capability, according to the representative. In an official company specifications sheet of the N-WAV, the AFV's 700 hp engine is coupled to a fully automatic transmission with seven forward gears and one reverse gear.
The AFV is also fitted with an independent, magnetorheological semi-active suspension system with spring coils and dampers. According to the specifications sheet, the vehicle has a length of 9.3 m, a width of 3.1 m, and a hull height of 2.8 m. The inclusion of the turret increases the vehicle's height to 3.5 m. The AFV has a combat weight of under 35 ton, the company stated in the specifications sheet.
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