ADEX 2023: Hyundai Rotem unveils new amphibious AFV

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 8×8 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.

“Every aspect of the earlier K808 AFV in service with the Republic of Korea Army was improved to create the N-WAV,” 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.