Despite its KIFV name, the K200’s baseline configuration is best understood as an armored personnel carrier: a tracked troop transport with machine-gun armament rather than a cannon-armed IFV.
K200 KIFV Family. Primary reference image for this archive profile. Source date: 2011-07-05 14:02.대한민국 국군 Republic of Korea Armed Forces; CC BY-SA 2.0Image source
RoleTracked armored personnel carrier
Developed forRepublic of Korea Army
Entered serviceMid-1980s
MobilityTracked and amphibious
Taxonomy noteBaseline carrier is APC despite KIFV designation
MediaPrimary image integrated
Development and requirement
South Korea began the K200 program to replace and supplement older M113-class carriers with a vehicle developed for local geography, force structure, and industrial goals. 1
Design and battlefield role
The baseline vehicle carries infantry under armor and is armed primarily with machine guns. That makes its functional role closer to an APC than to a cannon-armed IFV despite the historical KIFV name. 1
Service and evolution
K200 became the basis for a large family of specialist vehicles and remained important even after the arrival of the K21 IFV. 1
Archive boundaries
Taxonomy follows battlefield role rather than name: the baseline K200 is an APC; the K21 is a separate modern IFV; K200-based specialist vehicles belong to their actual mission categories. 1
Sources and further reading
Representative source set used for this profile. Primary image source and reuse terms are listed with the image.
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