K3 SAW performance

So the Army opted for the Daewoo K3 over the Minimi/M249 and Ultimax. Mindful of op-sec issues, can anybody give an idea of how this Korean weapon has performed so far?

Is the K3 what it was touted to be? That is, a Minimi clone that does the same things for a lower price?

Also, I’ve followed a bit of the debate here and other forums on a military’s choice of SAW, say between the M249-type belt-fed SAW vs the mag/drum-fed-only Ultimax. Has the Army’s employment of the SAW point to the heavier M249 clone as being the right choice vs a lighter SAW like the Ultimax in the Philippine setting?

as per DND report, 6,000 plus K3 SAWS were awarded to Daewoo for the Army of which 2,150 SAWS were already delivered as well as several thousand rounds of amunition. The minimi reportrdly won the pre-bid,but complaints of its expensive parts, as well as the lower and more gacious offer by Daewoo clinched the deal. These SAWS were part of the 600 plus 1 1/4 ton trucks delivered for a packaged price.

Im glad that they got the K3, rugged and cheap, though a bit heavier but easy parts unlike the minimi which reportedly cost close to a miliion each,yeyks! Korean army and Indonesia uses them as their choice as standard SAW rifles.

if its from Korea and made by Daewoo then it must be good.

My phone is a Samsung, my TV is LG, my car is a Kia Sorento and they're all good.

hmmmm...Whats next with Korean Products pouring in our country?

We have Korean Electronics like TV, monitors, surplus computers, Cars, jeeps, Trucks, Patrol boats, Hope that next to come will be their A50 jets. Kahit mga 18 units of these KIA Lockheed jet will be a welcome and 2 samples of T50 trainers.

What do you think? Korean will have a boost in marketing their A50 jets if they are in actual use by our AirForce for Anti-Insurgency, Territorial Water patrols and Joint-Exercise with the US Forces.

Nope, even the Koreans know selling us a few million dollars worth of guns and trucks is a whole lot different from selling us (now or in the near future) say just a squadron of jet aircraft that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

So how about those K3s...

Me too hoping that will happen kasi we need badly

Whats next?for the Army, id like a new platform for our AIVFS, 250 of these K21's in different configurations will be a good platform for the future IFV ng army. Also some KPSAM and K30 anti-air guns and missiles to activate our missiless so call Airborne Defense Wing,hehe. More K3 swas and kia trucks please!

For the Navy, an LPD by Hanjin in Subic, a new OPV-corvette platform with missels and anti-sub capabilitiesa also by Hanjin in Subic. Then most, of not all their 80 plus Chamsuri class PT's for more patrolboats to be replaced!

For the Airforce, two squadron of KTX attack props for OV10 replacement. 1 squadron for the T50 LIFT trainer and a squadron for the A50 fighter version. Plus decommissioned AH1'S of which theyre replacing soon!

If the K3 performance is very good. I think the Army should look into the whole K-series armament product line of Daewoo. They manufacture US copy-cats from M14, .50 caliber upto AGLs.

I bet the quality is just about the same, with a HUGE difference in price plus spares will be a lot cheaper if we got them from Korea instead of the U.S.

next move should be a joint venture/partnership between Korean defense companies and a GODC as I proposed in this thread:

http://pdff.sytes.net/index.php?showtopic=5767

sir adroth says the K3 helped save the day in ambush of 10thID troops...



This post has been edited by fatbat_mca on Feb 9 2009, 09:38 AM

Ito rin ba yun gamit ng isa dun sa mga bumihag sa IRC? If so, something is definitely wrong with our AFP. How can such pigs acquire one in good condition. If not naman, dapat ma-stop sila from acquiring more lalo na prevention of getting replacement parts to them.

Sure wish the Atchisson o SPAS12 see action in Mindanao. Doon naman nagsimula ang full-auto shotgun.

siguro sir na recover from our government troops....

what made you say this? do you have proof? you dont even know much about guns.

the mg carried by that asg terr is a minimi bought from previous hostage ransome funds.

Quite probable, Sir zanthoxcyclum. Yun nga lang ang condition ng SAW niya is still quite good kaya mukhang recent acquisition lang. Wala pang masyadong gasgas or such. Halos buo pa yun black coating ng baril. Some units still sport old support weapons or none at all.

The question then is this. Anong ammo ang gamit ng mga terrorists sa mga SAW nila? From what I know local paltik makers find it hard to produce good ammo. Kaya most likely derived from bad apples sa AFP o from elsewhere. If it can be traced on where they source such hindi ba mas madaling mapipigilan sila sa mga gawain nila.

OT na but nice kung makakopya rin ang mga Koreans (orbetter yet tayo) ng big brother ng Minimi and yun na ang maging 7.62mm machinegun na gamitin natin to replace old M60s.

The Daewoo K3 Light Machine Gun was the third indigenous firearm developed in South Korea, following the K1A and K2. The K3 is inspired by the FN Minimi and the United States-issued M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.

The K3 is a light machine gun resembling the FN Minimi and uses a standard 5.56 mm 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 250-round metal link 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 action is gas piston driven, with a rotating bolt.
NATO 5.56 K3SAW

This post has been edited by kingkong on Apr 28 2009, 10:44 AM