Kia Corporation has showcased two light tactical defense vehicle concepts at IDEX, UAE. These included its Light Tactical Cargo Truck and Bare Chassis concepts. Kia has been supplying its light tactical vehicles to the South Korean military since 2016, becoming the standard-bearer for vehicle quality in the country’s military.
The new four-seater Light Tactical Cargo Truck concept adopts a bold, commanding design and has been equipped with a cargo container for transporting troops alongside diverse armory.
Alongside the Light Tactical Cargo Truck concept, Kia displayed the vehicle’s Bare Chassis. With the body removed, the bare chassis showcases the truck’s power train and basic frame, providing a glimpse of the platform’s scalability as a basis for a range of armored vehicles. Kia is actively developing vehicles based on the Bare Chassis for clients around the world.
Ik-tae Kim, Vice President for Kia’s Special Vehicle Division said: “Our participation at IDEX 2021 is an opportunity to promote Kia’s latest developments in the design of future defense vehicles. Both concepts on display have been developed to be highly flexible and durable, with the capability to be used in some of the world’s harshest environments.”
Kia has developed the Light Tactical Cargo Truck concept in close cooperation between the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The vehicle’s modular chassis has enabled Kia to offer standard and long-wheel base variants alongside armored and unarmored versions for purposes including tactical commanding and reconnaissance, weapon instalment and target observation.
Differentiated by its unique design, the four-person Light Tactical Cargo Truck has been optimized for use by military forces by offering superior mobility, outstanding durability and a high level of functionality. The unarmored long wheelbase design features a superstructure that can be tailored to underpin different structures such as a cargo box, a mobile workshop and a communications centre. The vehicle can also carry ten fully-armed soldiers and up to three tons of cargo in the vehicle’s rear compartment.
The Kia Light Tactical Cargo Truck is powered by a 225 horsepower Euro 5 diesel engine, with power sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. The truck also features an independent suspension system, air conditioning, a limited-slip differential, run-flat tyres and an electro-magnetic interference system.
