South Korean Hyundai Rotem is ready to supply of K808 APC to Peru.

According to the Korean Economic Daily, Hyundai Rotem Co., a South Korean manufacturer of defense equipment and locomotives, has reached a significant milestone in exporting its K808 8X8 APC vehicles, the primary maneuver system of the Korean Army, for the first time. On May 2, 2025, Fábrica de Armas y Municiones del Ejército (FAME SAC), a Peruvian state-owned company manufacturing weapons and ammunition under the country's Ministry of Defense, selected the STX Corp.-Hyundai Rotem consortium as the preferred bidder for a contract to supply wheeled armored vehicles to the Peruvian Army.

K808 8x8 armored personnel carrier of South Korean army during field exercise "Seven Stars" (Picture source: Republic of Korea Armed Forces)

Once Hyundai Rotem signs a binding contract with FAME later this month, the Korean company will export an initial batch of 30 units of its K808 wheeled armored vehicles, worth about $60 million, to Peru and then up to 120 units later. This would mark Hyundai Rotem’s first overseas exports of its wheeled armored vehicles, as well as Korea’s first armored vehicle sales to Latin America.

The Korean weapon system maker expects the contract would pave the way for more similar deals from the region where demand for armored vehicles is on a rise in line with the growing terrorist attack risk and threat to public safety.

The K808 is an eight-wheeled infantry transport vehicle that replaces the K511A1, also known as the Army Truck, used by the Korean Army. Hyundai Rotem said its armored vehicles are fit for the rugged terrain and challenging paths of Peru, known as the Roof of South America. As the K808 is a wheeled armored vehicle, its eight wheels are independently driven and are suitable for climbing hills and traversing rough terrain. The K808 can traverse obstacles up to 40 centimeters high and navigate trenches up to 1.5 meters deep, with a water jet that enables it to cross easily shallow rivers, according to the company. Its tactical tires are equipped with an automatic air pressure adjustment device called CTIS.

The Korean Army announced a plan to acquire 600 armored vehicles 6×6 and 8×8. On May 9, 2016, the new armored vehicles, officially designated as the K808 and K806, successfully passed their final qualification tests, marking the beginning of serial production. A total of 600 vehicles are expected to be produced by 2023.

The design of the K808 consists of three main parts, with the driver located at the front left of the hull with the engine to its right. The commander's position is located behind that of the driver. The troop compartment is located at the rear and can accommodate up to 10 fully equipped soldiers. Troops enter and exit the vehicle via a rear automatic ramp. The roof of the hull is also equipped with four hatches. The APC version is equipped with an open-top turret armed with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

The hull of the K808 provides protection against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. According to military sources, the front arc can withstand hits from 12.7mm armor-piercing projectiles. Optionally, the vehicle can be equipped with additional protection to increase the level of protection.

The K808 is powered by a Hyundai turbocharged diesel engine developing 420 horsepower, coupled with an automatic transmission offering 7 forward speeds and 1 reverse speed. It can reach a maximum road speed of 100 km/h with a maximum range of 800 km. The vehicle is fully amphibious thanks to the use of two waterjets mounted on the vehicle. In the water, the vehicle can reach a maximum speed of 8 km/h.

Each soldier of the K808 is seated on anti-mine blast seats, not fixed to the vehicle floor. The vehicle is equipped with a central tire inflation system and run-flat tires as well as a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) protection system.

In April of last year, the Peruvian Minister of Defense approved a related budget for the purchase of armored vehicles. Under the latest agreement, Hyundai Rotem also has the right to provide the Peruvian Army with other types of maneuver systems, ranging from four and six-wheeled armored vehicles to light and heavy tactical vehicles.

STX will be responsible for delivering the armored vehicles manufactured by Hyundai Rotem to Peru. With the latest agreement, Hyundai Rotem also hopes to accelerate its breakthrough in the overseas defense systems market.

In December 2022, it delivered 10 units of its K2 Black Panther, a next-generation combat tank, to Poland, as part of its $3.4 billion contract to export 180 K2 tanks to the country, Korea's first export of such combat tanks. Three months earlier, it also agreed on a strategic partnership with Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace AS, Norway's largest defense supplier, to jointly develop next-generation combat tanks.

In Peru, another Korean company won the largest defense contract for a Korean company in Latin America last month. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries secured a contract worth 600 billion won ($436 million) to build four warships for the Peruvian Navy in collaboration with the Peruvian state-owned shipyard SIMA Peru S.A.