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Armoured vehicles2009–present
Infantry fighting vehicle
K21 is a infantry fighting vehicle originating in South Korea. It was built by Hanwha Defense (originally Daewoo Heavy Industries, later renamed as Doosan DST, follow by Hanwha Defense Systems).
South KoreaK21
대한민국 국군 Republic of Korea Armed Forces · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source ↗ · ModifiedInfantry fighting vehicle
South Korea
2009–present
Agency for Defense Development
1999–2008
Hanwha Defense (originally Daewoo Heavy Industries, later renamed as Doosan DST, follow by Hanwha Defense Systems)
$3.2 million
2009–present
466
25.6 t (25.2 long tons; 28.2 short tons)
6.9 m (23 ft)
3.4 m (11 ft)
2.6 m (8.5 ft)
3 crew + 9 passengers
2519 aluminium alloy chassis. Layers consisting of S2 glass fiber reinforced Al 2 O 3 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)
SNT Dynamics K40 40×365mmR autocannon (240 rounds) Two Raybolt ATGM launchers (planned)
7.62 mm M60 GPMG
Doosan - D2840LXE diesel 750 hp (840 hp for the PIP)
29.2 hp/tonne
Passive in-arm suspension unit (ISU)
500 km (310 mi)
70 km/h (43 mph) (road) 40 km/h (25 mph) (cross-country) 7 km/h (4.3 mph; 3.8 kn) (water)
South Korea ~400 units in Republic of Korea Army service.
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 6.9 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 6.9 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 6.9 m | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 6.9 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
K21 equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
South KoreaArmy exact named equipment holdings: K21. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: ARMOURED FIGHTING VEHICLES / IFV. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.