Army conducts combined arms drill with tanks, armored vehicles

The South Korean Army said Thursday it conducted a combined arms drill by mobilizing tanks and armored vehicles in a bid to beef up its combat readiness against North Korea's threats.

The drill was aimed at boosting the military's combat preparedness in the winter time, involving the infantry, artillery, armor and combat engineer units, the Army said.

The combined exercise was conducted at a shooting range in Yangpyeong, outside of Seoul, with about 40 K-1 tanks, K-21 armored fighting vehicles and other mobile assets being mobilized.

At the range surrounded by mountains, K-1 tanks made a simulated attack on enemy targets by firing off its main guns while getting covering fire from self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, it said.

The combat engineers provided smoke screen, and eliminated land mines and other barricades to facilitate the advance. They also employed an armored vehicle-launched bridge in the drill.

"The Army is fully prepared to counter and defeat the enemy under any circumstance," said a military official. (Yonhap)