ADEX 2025: Hanwha Aerospace unveils K-NIFV
The K-NIFV is a localised version of the AS21 Redback, with several foreign subsystems and components switched out for South Korean alternatives. (Janes/Sunil Nair)
Hanwha Aerospace has unveiled its K-NIFV (Korean new infantry fighting vehicle) to meet a requirement in the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA).
The vehicle – displayed for the first time at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2025 – is based on the AS21 Redback IFV that Hanwha is building for the Australian Army and which is based, in turn, on the K21 IFV in service with RoKA.
Assessing information provided by Hanwha Aerospace at ADEX 2025, which runs from 17 to 24 October, the most notable difference between the Australian Redback and the K-NIFV is the replacement of foreign-made systems with South Korean alternatives on the latter platform.
Such systems include the turret, cannon, opto-electronic sights, pod-mounted anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), and the vehicle's active protection system (APS).
Many of the systems to have been replaced on the Redback were sourced from Israel. They include the Redback's Elbit Systems MT30 manned turret, which housed a 30 mm Mk 44 Stretch Bushmaster II cannon. On the K-NIFV, this has been replaced with an unmanned turret developed by Hanwha Aerospace, which can integrate a locally produced 30 mm cannon or a case-telescoped 40 mm cannon.
Other changes on the K-NIFV include a domestic alternative to the Redback's Plasan mine-protection kit, replacing Rafael's Spike LR2 with Hanwha Aerospace's TAipers-L ATGM.
The K-NIFV also integrates a new hard-kill APS to replace the Redback's Iron Fist, which is produced by Elbit Systems. The Korean APS is being developed by Hanwha Systems, with completion scheduled for 2026.
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