[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Ukraine Support Equipment to Be Sent by Cargo Ship Next Month

Support for Multipurpose Excavators Capable of Mine Removal Following Mine Detectors

Additional military supplies supporting Ukraine are expected to be sent to the region early next month. A multipurpose excavator used by our army is scheduled to be sent, but since it cannot be loaded onto a transport aircraft, it will be transported by cargo ship.

Photo by Defense TV, screenshot from Select Guide Gun screen

On the 17th, a senior government official said, "The fourth round of military supplies support primarily sent mine detectors urgently requested by Ukraine, but since transporting the multipurpose excavator is difficult, we are promoting transportation by cargo ship."

The additional support equipment for Ukraine is a multipurpose excavator used by our army. The multipurpose excavator is used by the engineering corps and can be equipped with various tools for different tasks. It is expected to replace the role of the obstacle-clearing tank (K600). Since the government’s policy of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine remains unchanged, the plan is to support non-lethal weapons more broadly on a humanitarian basis.

When the military sends the equipment it possesses to Ukraine, additional equipment must be procured to fill the gap. If support equipment, including substitute mine detectors, performs well in Ukraine, the possibility of export will also increase.

President Yoon Suk-yeol made a sudden visit to Ukraine to discuss defense industry cooperation measures. Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, stated at a briefing in Warsaw, Poland, on the 16th (local time) that our government "plans and envisions expanding military supplies support and further mid- to long-term Korea-Ukraine defense industry cooperation."

According to the US daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Ukrainian defense manufacturers are increasing production by dispersing factories across multiple regions and producing overseas to avoid Russian attacks. WSJ reported that the amount of weapons delivered to their own military over the past year is more than eight times that of the previous year.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also requested support for mine-clearing equipment, emergency evacuation vehicles, mobile X-ray devices, and air defense radars at the G7 summit in May. According to the US daily The Washington Post (WP), Ukraine’s counteroffensive is delayed due to mines densely laid by Russian forces on the front lines. However, the mine-clearing equipment received from the West amounts to only 15% of what was requested.

In response, our government began the fourth round of military supplies support to Ukraine on the 9th, loading portable mine detectors and protective suits onto the Air Force’s KC-330 ‘Cygnus’ multipurpose aerial refueling transport aircraft.

The mine detector sent to Ukraine is presumed to be the PRS-20K developed with domestic technology. This equipment applies ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology to detect not only metal mines but also non-metallic mines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.