South Korea’s Poongsan, a manufacturer of conventional and specialty ammunition for land and naval forces, is once again exhibiting at IDEAS to highlight its latest offerings for the Pakistan armed forces and other regional customers.
The company hopes to build on its past success with the country, when it announced a partnership with the Pakistan Ordnance Factories in November 2006 to jointly manufacture 155mm DPICM base bleed (BB) K310 artillery ammunition for the Pakistan Army.
Production of the ammunition was undertaken the next year at the special weapons facilities of POF’s Wah Cantonment Ordnance Complex. The two companies also co-operated on product marketing regionally and internationally.
The 804mm long K310 DP-ICM BB projectile weighs 46.8kg including the fuze, carrying 49 K221 bomblets with K-520 PD self-destruct fuzes, each bomblet weighing 290g and filled with Comp A4 explosive material. Depending on the ordnance and charge type, the projectile can provide maximum ranges of between 15km to 36km. It is also used by the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA).
Islamabad and Seoul have continued their warm defence relationships since, growing closer as trading partners – including a June 2008 agreement for the supply of components for the Pakistan Air Force’s Cessna T-37 training aircraft – and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance defence co-operation in 2010. It also called for increased military personnel exchanges.
The agreement with South Korea is the continuation of a relationship that has seen the countries becoming closer defence partners over the past decade. More recently in May, Korean ambassador Kwak Sung-Kyu called on Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Defence Production Barrister Usman Ibrahim in Rawalpindi, where the latter highlighted the two countries’ robust and growing relationship. He stated that Pakistan is open to joint ventures for development of different defence products, proposing that an exchange of visits at various levels will explore the avenues of prospective defence collaboration and production.
