South Korea is set to begin mass-producing its new infantry fighting vehicle later this month, the Ministry of Defense reported Monday.
"We finished the testing on the capability of three prototypes that were rolled out in 2005," said Hong Hai-nam, principal researcher at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD).
Officially named the Next Infantry Fighting Vehicle (NIFV), the amphibious vehicle has met all the criteria required by the Army and it has been judged fit for war fighting, Hong added.
The NIFV has a mounted, stabilized 40-millimeter cannon, a 7.63-mm machine gun and a launcher for anti-tank guided missiles, making it capable of shooting down slow-moving helicopters and aircraft.
It can run at the speed of up to 70 kilometers an hour on the ground. The 26-ton vehicle can carry three crew members and a squad of nine soldiers,