IDEX 2021: Kia exhibits modular Light Tactical Cargo Truck

Kia Corporation displayed its new Light Tactical Cargo Truck and Bare Chassis concepts during the IDEX defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi.

Having previously developed a 4x4 light tactical vehicle for the Republic of Korea Army, Kia developed the Light Tactical Cargo Truck concept in cooperation with the South Korean Defence Acquisition Program Administration.

Use of a modular chassis enables the manufacturer to offer standard and long-wheelbase variants — in armoured and unarmoured versions — for C2, reconnaissance, target observation and armed utility missions.

The unarmoured 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 3t of cargo in the rear compartment.

A 225hp Euro 5 diesel engine sends power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The truck also features an independent suspension system, air conditioning, a limited-slip differential, runflat tyres and an electro-magnetic interference system.

Kia also exhibited the truck with body removed (Bare Chassis) at IDEX, to showcase the powertrain and basic frame.

This provides a ‘glimpse of the platform’s scalability as a basis for a range of armoured vehicles’, the manufacturer stated. ‘Kia is actively developing vehicles based on the Bare Chassis for clients’ eclectic taste around the world.’

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