South Korean company Hanwha Defense has secured a contract to lead a KRW500 billion (USD426 million) project aimed at developing and producing a localised version of the M3 amphibious rig to meet a Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) requirement for an amphibious bridge and ferry system.
The contract, which was awarded on 13 August by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in Seoul, involves local development and production of the systems under a technology transfer from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) in Germany.
Sources told Janes that the RoKA has a requirement for about 100 of these systems, with deliveries slated to begin in 2024 and be completed three years later.
An M3 amphibious rig displayed by Hanwha Defense during the ADEX 2019 defence exhibition. On 13 August 2021 the company secured a KRW500 billion contract to lead a project aimed at developing and producing a localised version of the M3 to meet a RoKA requirement for a new amphibious bridge and ferry system. (Hanwha Defense)
As Janes reported, the M3K variant, which had been proposed by Hanwha Defense in partnership with GDELS, was chosen in December 2020 following a series of trials and evaluations conducted in the second half of 2020. The M3K had been in competition with the Otter Armoured Amphibious Assault Bridge (AAAB) system, which had been proposed by rival bidder Hyundai Rotem in co-operation with OEM FNSS Savunma Sistemleri.
In its bid, which was submitted in March 2020, Hanwha Defense had stated that the M3K variant would be built under licence in South Korea and specifically tailored to meet RoKA requirements.
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