S. Korea to develop laser-guided heavy machine guns

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to provide its army soldiers with
laser-guided heavy machine guns that can hit targets up to 2 km away with shells
that explode in the air to hurl shrapnel, an official said Tuesday.
The guns will be developed and distributed to the Army starting in 2015, Kim
Young-san, spokesman for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)
said, announcing the possible developers for the 27.3-billion-won (US$21.9
million) project.
"The guns will be effective against enemy targets hiding behind barricades since
the shells blow up over their heads," Kim said in a briefing.
The guns, which can be set up on a tri-mount, will be reinforced with laser
equipment to help better determine the location of targets, Kim added.
Their shells will be powerful enough to penetrate light vehicles, he said.
S&T Dynamics, Eo System and Hanwha will jointly participate in the project to
develop the guns if they receive final permission from the DAPA by the end of
September, Kim said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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