South Korea hands over combat engineering vehicles to Ukraine

18 September, 2023 K600 CEV demining machine during training. Photo credits: Korean Army South Korea hands over to Ukraine two K600 combat engineering vehicles, according to the Chosun website.

Both vehicles are based on the K1 Type 88 tank. The South Korean government will provide two K600 CEV combat engineering vehicles in addition to the metal detectors at the request of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The transfer of non-lethal weapons is part of a promise made by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during the G7 summit held in Hiroshima in May 2022.

At that time, they discussed assistance and supply of equipment for demining the territories and assistance in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. K600 CEV is designed to be used by engineering units for mine clearance.

A blade mine-clearing device from the British company Pearson-Engineering is installed on the vehicle to dig the ground. The mines that are underground are lifted to the top and thrown to the side of the vehicle. The depth of demining is 30 centimeters.

The K600 is also equipped with an excavator boom with a bucket, which provides the ability to dig out the ground and dig pits for controlled mine detonation.

K600 combat engineering vehicle while digging a pit. Photo from the network

The first demonstration of the K600 took place in 2018, and it is currently the most advanced combat engineering vehicle in the South Korean Army. As Militarnyi previously reported, the British Army received the first LWRV light weight recovery vehicles made by Supacat and NP Aerospace.

The first vehicles were handed over to the Turn Hill garrison, which houses the barracks of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment.

The LWRV is being delivered under the British Army's PMETS program for light weight recovery vehicles.