Kia Motors is the dominant provider of trucks and tactical vehicles to South Korea’s military, but it has also carved out important markets in regions such as Asia and the Middle East. At IDEX 2025, held in Abu Dhabi from 17-21 February, Kia Special Vehicle Division unveiled its militarised Tasman pickup to prospective armed forces customers.
The vehicle is based on the commercially available Tasman SUV, but it features modifications such as a snorkel, bull bars, antenna, winch, military-compliant electric power supply, troop seating, electronic locking differential and blackout lighting. Its twin cab accommodates five soldiers.
Kia displayed a pickup version at IDEX, but it will also become available in other configurations, specifically a cargo bed, van body (which could serve as an ambulance or repair shop van, for example), flatbed (with a single cab instead of the twin cab on other versions) and also as a bare chassis for other manufacturers to add their own custom bodies.
Charles Jang, from Kia’s Planning Team – Special Vehicles, told Asian Military Review that development of the military Tasman has virtually concluded. It was developed using the company’s own funds, and it will be offered to the South Korean military as well as to prospective international clients.
The Tasman is 5.41m long, 1.93m wide and 1.87m high. With a gross vehicle weight of 3.25 tonnes, the Tasman can move a payload of up to 1.1 tonnes. It can also tow a trailer weighing up to 3.5 tonnes, and it can negotiate water up to 800mm deep thanks to its snorkel.
A 210ps diesel engine of 2.2-litre capacity, coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission, powers the military Tasman. Jang said that, while the civilian Tasman is available with alternative power plants such as a hybrid, only a diesel is planned for military operators.
Kia also displayed its KLTV and its next-generation 2.5-tonne truck chassis at IDEX 2025. The latter was shown for the first time outside South Korea at the VIDEX 2024 exhibition in Hanoi last December.
The KLTV is in mass production for the South Korean military, but the chassis has been widely sold in the Middle East. Many vehicles from UAE manufacturers such as Streit Group base their own armoured vehicles on the KLTV chassis.
by Gordon Arthur, Abu Dhabi
