South Korea's military has started deploying a homegrown 30 mm-caliber wheeled antiaircraft gun for field operations under a project to replace decades-old Vulcan cannons, the state arms procurement agency said Wednesday.

Developed in 2019, the new gun will supplant the 20mm cannons that the country's Army, Air Force and Marine Corps have operated for over 40 years, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.

The new gun's firing range is 3 kilometers, 1.2 km longer than the existing ones. It is capable of tracking targets during daytime and at night and of countering threats from low-flying targets, according to the administration.

The number of personnel required for a gun unit is 18, compared to 48 for the operation of the existing cannon.

The military plans to deploy the new guns to the three armed services in phases through 2031. (Yonhap)