Daewoo Precision Industries K3

Daewoo Precision Industries K3

Daewoo Precision Industries K3 LMG
Type Light machine gun
Place of origin South Korea
Service history
In service 1989–present
Used by See Users
Wars Colombian conflict
Persian Gulf War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
Production history
Designer Agency for Defense Development
Daewoo Precision Industries
Designed 1978–87
Manufacturer Daewoo Precision Industries
S&T Daewoo
S&T Motiv
Produced 1988–present
Specifications
Weight 6.85 kg (15.10 lb)
Length 1,030 mm (41 in)
Barrel length 533 mm (21.0 in)
Cartridge 5.56×45mm NATO
.223 Remington
Action Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire 900 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity 915 m/s (3,002 ft/s)
Effective firing range 800 m (K100)
460 m (KM193)
Maximum firing range 3,600 m (K100)
2,650 m (KM193)
Feed system 200-round disintegrating-link belt, 70-round box magazine (rare) or 30-round NATO STANAG magazine
Sights Iron sights

Daewoo Precision Industries K3 is a South Korean light machine-gun. It is the third indigenous firearm developed in South Korea by the Agency for Defense Development, following the Daewoo Precision Industries K1 submachine gun and Daewoo Precision Industries K2 assault rifle. The K3 is inspired by FN Minimi. It is manufactured by Daewoo Precision Industries, current S&T Motiv.[1] The K3 is capable of firing both 5.56×45mm NATO and .223 Remington rounds like the K2 assault rifle. The K3 light machine gun entered service since 1989, replacing M60 machine gun from frontline use.[2]

Description

A South Korean soldier with a Daewoo K3 in March 2004.

The K3 is a light machine gun resembling the FN Minimi and uses a standard 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. Its greatest advantage is that it is lighter than the M60 and can interchange cartridges with both the K1A and K2. The feed can come from either a 30-round box magazine or a 200-round metal link belt. It can be used with a bipod for the Squad Automatic role, and fitted with a tripod for sustained fire support.

The rear sight is adjustable for elevation and windage, and the foresight can be adjusted for elevation for zeroing. The barrel has a built-in carry handle for ease of changing the barrel. The gun is gas operated, with a rotating bolt.

The weapon system was not designed for customization, due to the fact that most soldiers of the South Korean military will not see extended use of their weapons.

Foreign sales

One example of the K3 was purchased by South Africa in 2006, and two examples were purchased by Thailand in the same year.[3] A controversy broke out 2007 in the Philippines when the country's Armed Forces initially selected the FN Minimi rather than picking the K3 or the 5.56 mm Ultimax from Singapore. The AFP's Modernization Program was attacked for showing favoritism towards a Western firearms company over Asian arms manufacturers.[4]

Ultimately, 6,540 K3s 5,883 K3s were acquired by the Philippine Army for their SAW requirement.[5] 5,883 units were first shown in public on February 18, 2008, together with 603 newly delivered Kia KM-450 trucks.[6]

Variants

Users

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Business Outline, Defense Business". S&T Daewoo. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  2. ↑ http://stoo.asiae.co.kr/news/stview.htm?idxno=2011051816525411562
  3. 1 2 3 Daniel Watters. "The 5.56 X 45mm: 2006". Gun Zone. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  4. ↑ Archived June 24, 2004, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑
  6. 1 2 Philippine Army. "Army Troopers Newsmagazine Vol.2 No.9" (PDF). Philippine Army. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  7. ↑ http://www.bdmilitary.com/forces-equipment/small-arms/light-machine-guns/k3-light-machine-gun/
  8. ↑ http://gall.dcinside.com/list.php?id=gun&no=33393
  9. ↑ http://biz.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/08/03/2011080300418.html
  10. ↑ http://www.fnnews.com/view?ra=Sent0601m_View&corp=fnnews&arcid=111101143730&cDateYear=2011&cDateMonth=11&cDateDay=01
  11. ↑ "Kopassus & Kopaska - Specijalne Postrojbe Republike Indonezije" (in Croatian). Hrvatski Vojnik Magazine. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  12. ↑ http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg27-e.htm

Further reading

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 08, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.