Daewoo Precision Industries K3

The Daewoo Precision Industries K3 is a South Korean light machine-gun. It is the third indigenous firearm developed in South Korea by the Agency for Defense Development, following the Daewoo Precision Industries K1 submachine gun and Daewoo Precision Industries K2 assault rifle. It is manufactured by Daewoo Precision Industries, current SNT Motiv.[1] The K3 is capable of firing both 5.56×45mm NATO and .223 Remington rounds like the K2 assault rifle. The K3 light machine gun entered service in 1989, replacing the M60 machine gun in frontline use.[2]

Daewoo Precision Industries K3
Daewoo Precision Industries K3
TypeLight machine gun
Place of originSouth Korea
Service history
In service1991–present
Used bySee Users
Wars
Production history
DesignerAgency for Defense Development
Daewoo Precision Industries
Designed1978–87
ManufacturerDaewoo Precision Industries (1981-1999)
Daewoo Telecom (1999-2002)
Daewoo Precision (2002-2006)
S&T Daewoo (2006-2012)
S&T Motiv (2012-2021)
SNT Motiv (2021-present)
Produced1988–present
Specifications
Mass6.85 kg (15.10 lb) (K3)
6.3 kg (13.89 lb) (K3 Para)
Length1,030 mm (41 in) (K3)
953 mm (37.5 in) (K3 Para extended)
805 mm (31.7 in) (K3 Para collapsed)
Barrel length533 mm (21.0 in) (K3)
365 mm (14.4 in) (K3 Para)
Cartridge5.56×45mm NATO
.223 Remington
ActionGas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire700 rounds/min belt fed
1,000 rounds/min magazine fed
Muzzle velocity915 m/s (3,002 ft/s) (K3)
Effective firing range800 m (875 yd) (K3 K100)
460 m (503 yd) (K3 KM193)
600 m (656 yd) (K3 KM100)
Maximum firing range3,600 m (3,937 yd) (K3 K100)
2,650 m (2,898 yd) (K3 KM193)
Feed system200-round disintegrating M27 ammunition belt, 70-round box magazine (rare) or 30-round NATO STANAG magazine
SightsIron sights

Development
A South Korean soldier with a Daewoo K3 in March 2012
K3 Para at IDEX 2017

The K3 is a light machine gun resembling the FN Minimi and uses a standard 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. Its greatest advantage is that it is lighter than the M60 and can interchange cartridges with both the K1A and K2. The feed can come from either a 30-round box magazine or a 200-round disintegrating M27 ammunition belt. It can be used with a bipod for the Squad Automatic role, and fitted with a tripod for sustained fire support.

The rear sight is adjustable for elevation and windage, and the foresight can be adjusted for elevation for zeroing. The barrel has a built-in carry handle for ease of changing the barrel. The gun is gas operated, with a rotating bolt.

The weapon system was not designed for customization, due to the fact that most soldiers of the South Korean military will not see extended use of their weapons.

By 2015, ROK forces were looking to obtain a new LMG, as the K3 was suffering from age and reliability issues. S&T Motiv is attempting to win the contract by modernizing the K3 with a side-folding adjustable stock, an integral MIL-STD-1913 rail on feed cover, detachable side and underside rails, a carbon fiber heat shield over barrel, an improved muzzle brake/flash hider, folding iron sights, and an upgraded feed system.

The same improvements would also be applied to the shorter "Para" version.[3] As of 2019, it has not been adopted for general service, but it has been suggested that special forces units could use it.[4]

K15

In late 2018, the S&T Motiv "Next-Generation LMG" was standardized as the K15, a heavily upgraded version of the K3 planned for fielding to the ROK Army by 2020. It has an adjustable buttstock and redesigned pistol grip/trigger group component for improved ergonomics, and internal parts are reconfigured and manufactured with closer tolerances for better reliability. Unlike the K3, it uses a push button to hold and release the barrel with three upper positioning lugs to ensure the barrel sits on a correct position when reattached. The feed cover and handguard have rails integrally attached, rather than needing an adapter to have them installed like the K3; this helps it to utilize a day/night fire control system that uses a thermal sight, laser rangefinder and ballistic computer. Each leg of the bipod operates independently to make for a more sturdy firing platform and the front sight is collapsible. The K15 is still fed from a 200-round plastic container and also can accept a STANAG magazine in emergency situations. Although the new design is more reliable, it is heavier at 7.16 kg (15.8 lb) without the FCS and 8.4 kg (19 lb) with the FCS.[5] Deliveries began in December 2022.[6]

Foreign sales

One example of the K3 was purchased by South Africa in 2006, and two examples were purchased by Thailand in the same year.[7] A controversy broke out 2007 in the Philippines when the country's Armed Forces initially selected the FN Minimi rather than picking the K3 or the 5.56 mm Ultimax from Singapore. The AFP's Modernization Program was attacked for showing favoritism towards a Western firearms company over Asian arms manufacturers.[8]

Ultimately, 6,540 K3s were acquired by the Philippine Army for their SAW requirement.[9] 5,883 units were first shown in public on February 18, 2008, together with 603 newly delivered Kia KM-450 trucks.[10]

Variants
  • XK3: Experimental prototype.
  • K3: Standard mass-produced variant.
  • K3Para: Shortened version of K3 with RAS and minor modifications. First revealed in 2015.[11]
  • K15: Heavily redesigned and modernized version.[5]

Users

See also

References
  1. "Business Outline, Defense Business". S&T Daewoo. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  2. "K계열 6가지 소총 직접 쏴보니". Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  3. ADEX 2015 Archived 2016-08-07 at the Wayback Machine - SAdefensejournal.com, 5 August 2016
  4. "Show Report: DX Korea 2018". Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  5. THE ROK ARMY’S NEXT SQUAD AUTOMATIC WEAPON THE K15 LMG. Small Arms Defense Journal. 19 December 2019.
  6. "South Korean Army receives first batch of K15 LMGs". Janes Information Services. 21 December 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022.
  7. Daniel Watters. "The 5.56 X 45mm: 2006". Gun Zone. Archived from the original on 2011-03-01. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  8. [site=http://www.timawa.net/news.htm "News"]. Retrieved December 28, 2016. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  9. http://www.dnd.gov.ph/DNDWEBPAGE_files/dndbac/SAPUDNDBAC.pdf
  10. Philippine Army. "Army Troopers Newsmagazine Vol.2 No.9" (PDF). Philippine Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  11. "ADEX 2015: South Korea shows new light MG - LWI - Land Warfare - Shephard Media". www.shephardmedia.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
  12. "Red internacional de tráfico de armas conecta a Perú con Ecuador y Colombia".
  13. "K-3 Para 기관총을 들고 행진중인 에콰도르군".
  14. "[도배] 해외로 수출된 한국제 총기류 2 - 피지 - 총기 갤러리".
  15. "[현장르포] 30년만에 무분규 임금타결 S&T대우". Archived from the original on 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  16. 파이낸셜뉴스 입력: 수정 (1 November 2011). "한화-S&T대우, 인도네시아에 국산 K3기관총 수출". Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  17. "MG 27-e". Archived from the original on 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
  18. "United Defense" (PDF). United Defense Manufacturing Corporation. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  19. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.smallarmssurvey.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Further reading
  • Jane's Infantry Weapons. 2002.
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