Hyundai Motor Group has announced that the Army Weapons and Ammunition Factory (FAME) has selected its subsidiary Hyundai Rotem as an international strategic partner for an eventual local assembly and co-production program of 8×8 armored vehicles for the benefit of the Peruvian Army.
Hyundai Rotem has offered the K808 White Tiger wheeled armored vehicle (White Tiger) to the Peruvian Army for the modernization program that the Peruvian armed institute has been trying to launch for at least a decade, for which it had managed to capture a budget item of 60 million dollars for the acquisition of a first batch of 30 armored vehicles. 8×8, preferably amphibious.
In a first selection process, via State-to-State mechanisma selection committee of the Peruvian Army gave the best qualifications to the WEAPON 8×8 from the Turkish manufacturer Otokar and to Lazar III of YugoImport. However, the program was aborted early after multiple complaints from bidders about the methodology implemented in the selection process..
Contest
In such a scenario, FAME SAC On March 19, 2024, an international private competition was held to find a strategic partner for the implementation of a joint venture that covers technology transfer for an eventual program of co-production and local assembly of armored vehicles. In reality, the Peruvian Army requires a total of 300 8×8 armored vehicles to replace the variety of wheeled armored vehicles in a state of obsolescence, a number that in effect opens the doors for the assembly process and partial production at the local level.
It is very complicated – for reasons of profitability – for any international manufacturer to access a technology transfer program if only 30 8×8 armored vehicles are going to be produced and then a waiting period is entered into regarding the decision of the Peruvian Government to incorporate a second batch of 8×8 vehicles.
In this regard, Hyundai Motor Group assumes in a press release that STX Corporation, the business platform used by South Korean companies for their international businesses, will partner with FAME for the supply of 30 wheeled armored vehicles. K808 White Tiger of Hyundai Rotem to the Peruvian Army at an approximate cost of 60 million dollars. Hyundai highlights that this is the first export contract of the K808of which the South Korean Army has acquired nearly 600 units, thus ensuring a logistics chain with a horizon of about 20 years.
In any case, the eventual implementation of a local assembly line may even benefit the Peruvian Navysince it also has a pending requirement for the incorporation of a second batch of 8×8 amphibious vehicles.
It is worth remembering that SIMA Peru recently signed a contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries as your international strategic partner for the local construction of frigates, ocean patrol vessels and coastal vessels with beach landing capabilities. The partnership between FAME and Hyundai Rotem would only strengthen the partnership between Peru and South Korea in the field of defense.
