 |
| ▲ A South Korean K2 tank takes part in a field exercise at a training ground in Qatar, in this undated photo provided by the Army on Oct. 29, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
S Korea-Qatar drills
Army wraps up 1st overseas tank, howitzer drills in Qatar
SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- The Army said Tuesday it concluded its first overseas drills with tank and howitzer units in Qatar earlier this week, after it deployed some 100 troops to a desert training ground in the Middle Eastern country.
The live-fire and maneuver drills, which mobilized four K2 tanks and four K9A1 self-propelled howitzers, drew to a close Sunday after a two-week run at Qatar's Al Qalayel training center, according to the Army.
During the exercise period, the tanks and howitzers trained alongside Qatar's German-made Leopard 2A7 tanks and Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers, conducting various combined combat drills.
The Army said the K2 tanks showed off their live-fire capabilities by striking targets 5 kilometers away, beyond their maximum effective firing range of over 3 kilometers, at a hit rate of more than 80 percent.
After the field training exercise, the Army's K10 ammunition resupply vehicles demonstrated artillery shell resupplying operations for K9 howitzers to a group of Qatari military and government officials, it said.
South Korea has recently sought closer defense industry ties with Qatar amid its push to become a major global arms exporter, signing a bilateral memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation in February.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
