South Korea has developed a new thermal imagery sight for ist 20-mm anti-aircraft Vulcan cannon, the South Korean state arms agency said Wednesday, November 1, 21017. The new device will be delivered to the South Korean Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, starting in 2019, to replace the existing AN/TVS-5 night vision sight, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

South Korean army K263A1 armed with Vulcan 20mm automatic cannon

Currently the armed forces of South Korea uses the KM167A1 towed 20mm Vulcan Air Defense Systems (South Korean version of the American-made M167A3) and K263A1, a self-propelled version of the M167A3 mounted on the K200A1 tracked armoured vehicle personnel carrier.

South Korean armed forces need to increase its short range air defense with the growing of aerial threats threat from North Korean unmanned aircraft which have been penetrating into South Korean territory since many years to perform reconnaissance missions.

This new air defense capability will close the gap of night detection of aerial threats, offering the possibility to detect, track, and engage small targets with tiny radar signatures and in night conditions.

The K263A1 is a mobile air defense version of the K200A1 tracked armored vehicle fitted with a 20mm Vulcan anti-aircraft gun, a fire control radar with a maximum detection range of five kilometers. The vehicle has a crew of four.

The K263A1 is able to engage low altitude, low speed aerial targets, it also can engage ground targets. Its 20mm cannon, with a rate of fire of 3,000 rounds per minute, has an effective range of 1,200m against air targets and up to 2,000m against ground targets.