Daewoo (Doosan) KIFV Mortar Carrier

     Notes:  Like the KIFV, these two mortar carriers are related to the European AIFV and have the same chassis and hull as the KIFV.   Though the AIFV does have mortar-carrier variants, the South Koreans started from scratch with their KIFV-based mortar carriers; however, they ended up about the same in design. So far, no overseas of the KIFV mortar carriers have been made nor offered.  The KIFV mortar carriers are based on the latest A1 build. As with most such vehicles, the fighting compartment is quite cramped, taken up mostly with the mortar and its rounds.

    The K-242A1 is a carrier for a heavy mortar based on the KIFV chassis.  In this version, the passenger compartment is taken up by ammunition and an M-30 4.2" mortar, and the turret is deleted.  There is a large, three-part hatch over the mortar compartment, similar to that on the US M-106A2; the left hatch folds in half instead of opening completely.  The firing ports are retained, though the two in the sides are moved forward from their normal positions so the crew does not have to fight while twisting around the mortar or staying out of its way. The vehicle has a machinegun mount for local and antiaircraft protection.  A bipod, bridge, and baseplate are carried to allow the mortar to be deployed away from the vehicle.  The vehicle is equipped with an MBC as well as a mapping computer and inertial navigation; legacy equipment is provided to use if the MBC and mapping/coordinate computer is not working up to snuff. (Under normal circumstances, a KIFV mortar carrier can operate as its own FDC, though Korean doctrine is to have an FDC with a mortar battery.)

     In recent years, the K-242A1 has its mortar replaced with the US-built M-120 mortar, the resulting vehicle designated the K-220A1.

     The K-281A1 is a variant of the KIFV, carrying an 81mm mortar in the back along with ammunition.  A bipod and baseplate is carried to allow the mortar to be operated away from the vehicle.  The turret is deleted, but the firing ports are retained.  There is a large, three-part hatch over the rear compartment to allow the mortar to be fired.  This vehicle is similar to the K-242A1, but uses an 81mm mortar, and is rather less common than that vehicle.  Most of the details of the K-281A1 are the same as on the M-242A1, with the computers modified for use with the 81mm mortar.

     The KIFV mortar carrier’s gunner’s cupola is the same as that mounted on the standard KIFV, though it is mounted a little forward from the position on the KIFV.  The gunner’s cupola is surrounded with heavy (AV2) gun shields, but the cupola is manually traversed and is open-topped.  The shields, however, are high and the front of the shield has a slit for the machinegun that is wide enough to allow the gunner to give a reasonable, if limited, field of view if he crouches completely below the level of the gun shields or lowers his seat below that level.  The cupola hatch is specially reinforced and the gunner has an effective AV of 2 from the rear.  To the right of the gunner is the commander’s hatch; it does not have a cupola, though it has all-around vision blocks around his hatch.  To the commander’s front is the driver, with vision blocks to his front and right side and a hatch which has a special spring-loaded hinge opening that allows the driver to mount a night vision device. The mortar carriers are amphibious with little preparation, requiring that the large trim vane be extended to the front and bilge pumps turned on, and requiring 4 minutes to prepare.  Propulsion in the water is, like most amphibious tracked vehicles, by track motion.

     Bring based on the A1 upgrade, KIFV mortar carriers have the engine, transmission, armor, and suspension upgrades of that version of the KIFV. The engine is a D-2848T 350-horsepower turbodiesel design, though it can also run off of JP8 (primarily for interoperating with US forces. design licensed from MAN for production by Daewoo.  The transmission is an Alison X200-5K automatic transmission, which was produced by Daewoo (and later Doosan) under license. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: In the T2K timeline, most South Korean units are still equipped with American-made of license-produced versions of standard US-built mortar carriers.  Perhaps one-fourth of Korean mortar units are KIFV-based.  The M-220A1 does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline. South Korean vehicles are largely running on diesel, though a few (such as their jeeps) are running on gas.