Hyundai Rotem is considering supplying promising wheeled armored vehicles to Ukraine
16 November, 2023 The promising N-WAV 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle was developed by the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem. The South Korean defense company Hyundai Rotem considers the Ukrainian military as a promising user of the new N-WAV wheeled armored vehicles. This was announced in the company's presentation, photos of which were published by Bartlomiej Kucharski on Twitter.
During the presentation, representatives of the Korean defense giant discussed the plans to set up a plant in Poland to produce new N-WAV 8x8 armored vehicles. The new enterprise is expected to become a production center that will supply armored vehicles to other Eastern European countries. The prospective users include the Ukrainian military, which is likely to need large volumes of armored vehicles after the war.
Hyundai Rotem sees Eastern European countries as the main users of the promising N-WAV armored vehicle.
Photo credits: Bartlomiej Kucharski
The Polish army, which needs 1,500 units to arm two newly created divisions, along with Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Hungary, which plan to replace their Soviet-era armored vehicles with more modern models, are also considered promising customers. In addition to the production of new equipment, the future Polish industrial center of Hyundai is also expected to become a repair hub for the above-mentioned countries. The promising N-WAV 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle is based on the Korean K808 armored fighting vehicle manufactured by Hyundai Rotem.
The vehicle is designed to deliver infantry and provide direct support in combat. In its normal configuration, it can accommodate eight infantrymen and three crew members in the landing compartment. The main advantage of the new vehicle should be its modularity, which, in particular, is reflected in the ability to easily integrate most of the combat modules on the market.
The Koreans offer their own module with the Northrop Grumman Mk30 Bushmaster II automatic gun. However, it is reported that the Polish version of the armored vehicle will be equipped with the domestic ZSSW-30 module.
The promising N-WAV 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle was developed by the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem.
According to the information disclosed at the presentation, the ballistic protection of the vehicle will allow withstanding attacks of levels 4-6, according to STANAG 4569. This can be interpreted as protection against fire from a 14.5 mm machine gun in a circular pattern and from a 30 mm automatic gun in the frontal projection. At the same time, the mine protection is designed to withstand the detonation of 10 kilograms of TNT.
The armored vehicle has a classic layout with the engine and driver's compartment in the front, the combat compartment in the center, and the landing compartment in the rear.
Landing compartment of South Korean K808 armored fighting vehicle. Photo from open sources.
The gross weight of the armored vehicle is 35 tons, and its power plant provides 700 hp, which ensures an energy efficiency of 20 hp/ton. With this weight, the N-WAV remains buoyant and is able to cross water at speeds of up to 10 km/h.
As a standard, the vehicle is equipped with a diesel engine combined with an automatic transmission.
However, the manufacturer is also developing an alternative power plant that will run on hydrogen.