Picture this: you’re a supervillain and your latest heist has left your pockets overflowing
with cash.
You may be wondering what to do with your ill-gotten gains, and looking to invest in
some serious firepower to add to your sinister arsenal.
So, why not invest in a tank?
But you aren’t interested in some rusty old relic, something fresh and expensive is
much more your style.
That’s where the K2 Black Panther, the most expensive tank in the world, comes in.
Not to be confused with the Marvel superhero of a similar name, the K2 Black Panther was
first introduced into service in 2014 as part of the military of South Korea and costs a
staggering $8.5 million USD.
And that’s not for all the South Korean military’s K2 Black Panthers, that’s $8.5
million per tank.
So, what sets the K2 apart from other tanks and what makes this tank the most expensive
on the market?
Designed between 1995 and 2008 by South Korea’s Agency for Defence Development (or ADD), the
K2 is manufactured by Hyundai Rotem, a South Korean company specialising in the manufacture
of defence products that also happens to be – you guessed it – a part of the Hyundai
Motor Group.
That’s right, if you own an Elantra or a Sonata, then there’s a link between your
car and the world’s most expensive tank.
Although, if you were to drive a K2 down the street, you definitely wouldn’t get stuck
in traffic or cut off by other drivers.
After all, yours is the only vehicle on the road that weighs 61 tons - that’s the same
as about ten African elephants.
It could roll over and crush the average car like a tin can.
One of the key reasons for the K2’s development and introduction was to serve as a viable
replacement for the remainder of South Korea’s M48 Patton tanks.
Why?
For one, the M48 is a much older tank, first introduced almost seventy years ago in 1951.
While a great number of these older model tanks were phased out in the US during the
mid-90s, it was around this time that the South Korean Agency for Defence Development
began designing what would eventually become the K2 Black Panther.
So, what makes the K2 superior, and a suitable replacement for all the M48s that were eventually
decommissioned, moved to storage, and ultimately phased out of use?
The K2 Black Panther is what is commonly known as a ‘next generation’ tank.
While that’s a term that you may have heard attributed to technology like cell phones
or gaming consoles, a next generation (or fourth generation) tank is a model that incorporates
technology to propel it into a completely new generation of weaponry.
Remember the M48s we mentioned before?
Well, those are first generation tanks.
The M48 Patton tanks were among several variations introduced immediately after the Second World
War.
On the other hand, The K2, along with other fourth generation tanks, are better equipped
to deal with the requirements of contemporary-era warfare, thanks to its modern design, technology
and weaponry.
Now, you may be wondering, what about the K2 justifies that $8.5 million price tag?
After all, for the same price you could buy two Bugatti Chiron Super Sports, the fastest
car in world, and still have $700,000 left over for around six-hundred and thirty iPhone
11 Pro Maxes.
Well, perhaps you might be tempted by some of the truly unique features The K2 Black
Panther is said to offer, but we don’t mean heated seats or self-parking, we’re talking
weaponry.
After all, you’re looking for a tank that can make a statement, and nothing says firepower
like a state-of-the-art 120mm smoothbore gun capable of firing unique KSTAM ammunition.
But ‘what the heck is KSTAM?’ you may be asking.
KSTAM stands for Korean Smart Top-Attack Munition.
You see, what sets the K2 apart from other previous and current-generation tanks is that
it’s the only tank in the world to use KSTAM ammunition.
That’s because this type of munition was developed specifically for the K2 Black Panther.
So, what’s so special about KSTAM?
Well, something you need to understand about a lot of modern tanks is that they’re designed
to be deployed against other tanks, which are usually not only heavily-armoured targets,
but also far away.
The K2’s KSTAM ammo overcomes these problems, as it is designed to directly target the very
top of an enemy tank’s turret.
Why?
This is because a great number of older-generation tanks, and even many newer ones, are much
more vulnerable directly on top of their turrets where the armor is thinnest.
The KSTAM is designed to be fired from the K2’s 120mm gun and is equipped with its
own self-guiding navigation system.
This is what’s commonly known as a ‘fire-and-forget’, as you can launch one of these projectiles
from a safe distance and then it does the work for you.
This means that the K2 can fire whilst completely hidden from the view of an enemy tank, just
as long as there’s ample room for the tank to elevate that big 120mm gun barrel.
Once fired, the KSTAM travels towards its target or can be directed by a live data link
feed, at a minimum range of 2km and maximum of 8km - that’s between twenty-one and eighty-seven
football fields long.
Upon reaching the designated target area, a KSTAM then deploys a parachute as it begins
its descent on an unsuspecting enemy tank, allowing the projectile’s infrared and target-acquisition
sensors to spot whoever’s about to need one pretty big umbrella.
Meanwhile, you’re at a safe distance, nice and cosy in your K2 and already getting into
a good book as the KSTAM you fired makes light work of the other tank.
To summarise, you could park this tank around the corner and still hit someone 8km away
in the next town over; surely that’s worth $8.5 million, right?
That’s almost a million dollars for every kilometre!
Okay, so having its own unique ammunition might be one selling point of the K2 Black
Panther, but if it can dish out some long-distance damage, how much can it withstand?
After all, the last thing you want is for your new K2 to get dented before you can drive
it out of the lot.
Luckily, the K2 is a well-protected machine, sporting a classified type of composite armour.
While the exact materials used aren’t available or known to the public, we do know that the
term composite armour refers to layers of various materials, most commonly either metals,
plastics or ceramics, or a combination of these.
This is done to give the vehicle’s armour more resistance against oncoming fire, while
also keeping the armour itself lightweight.
Of course, this is a costly method of protecting a vehicle, which contributes to the expensive
overall price of the K2, but at least it’ll keep out any troublesome High Explosive Anti-Tank
– or HEAT – ordinance.
In fact, it’s claimed that the frontal armour of a K2 is capable of withstanding fire from
other tanks with similar 120mm armaments as the K2 itself.
On top of composite armour, the K2 Black Panther also makes use of ERA blocks.
In this context, ERA stands for Explosive Reactive Armour, and this is designed to offer
further protection against chemical energy warheads.
ERA commonly consists of a sandwich formed of a slab of high explosive between two metal
plates – not the kind you’d want to have for lunch.
Now, having high explosives inside your K2 tank’s armour might sound risky, but this
actually offers a counterexplosion to any incoming warheads.
The primary purpose of all anti-tank weaponry is for their ammunition to pierce the outer
armour and either kill or injure the crew inside the tank, or damage the vehicle’s
inner mechanical systems, if not both of these.
ERA combats this by having the layer of high explosive detonate upon impact by an oncoming
projectile, the force of the counterexplosion driving the projectile away from the K2 tank
and keeping the occupants safe.
So, we’ve looked at firepower, ammo and defences, and all that contributes to making
the K2 the pricey tank that it is.
But before you purchase one, you still need to know things like: how well does it move
across different types of terrain?
What’s the K2’s top speed?
And how many of your evil henchmen will you need to help you operate your new tank?
The first batch of South Korea’s K2 Black Panther tanks, one-hundred of which were created
between 2014 and 2015, all featured an MTU MT-883 ka501 engine.
This was then replaced with an engine known as the Doosan DV27K for both the second batch
of one-hundred and six tanks built between 2019 and 2020, and the third batch which are
still in production as of March 2020 and consists of fifty-four tanks.
This allows the K2 to accelerate from zero to 20 miles per hour, or zero to 32 kilometres
per hour, in only seven seconds!
When travelling off-road, the K2 can reach speeds of up to 31 miles per hour, or 50 kilometres
per hour, which is about the same as a normal car moving at typical speed through a busy
city or residential area.
On paved roads, the K2’s maximum speed peaks at an even higher 43 miles per hour, or 70
kilometres per hour – which is almost the same speed as a car driving reasonably fast
down a highway.
While this might not seem like much in comparison to the speed of an average car, it’s important
to remember that cars don’t weigh over sixty tons and aren’t fitted with armour designed
to stop incoming projectiles or a huge KSTAM-firing gun on top.
Where the K2 Black Panther’s speed really measures up is against other tanks.
For example, the United States Marine Corps’ M1 Abrams tank can only move at 40 kilometres
per hour when travelling off-road, a full 10km/h slower than the speed of the K2 moving
across the same terrain.
Additionally, the British Army’s Challenger 2 tank can only reach a maximum speed of 37
miles per hour on open road, while the K2 leaves it in the dust moving 6mph faster.
So far, we’ve looked at the offensive and defensive capabilities of the K2 Black Panther,
as well as its top speeds and effectiveness both on and off-road.
But how many will be cramping up the inside of your K2 tank and leaving half-eaten candy
bars in the glove box?
Fortunately, not that many.
Including you, the K2 only needs a crew of three to operate it: One commander, one gunner,
and one driver.
The gunner’s role is, as the title suggests, to operate that massive 120mm gun turret.
Luckily for whoever has that job, the main gun features an auto-loader, negating the
need for an additional fourth crewmember like some other tanks, such as the M1 Abrams or
Challenger 2 that we mentioned earlier.
So, an advantage the K2’s gunner has is that the main gun is loaded automatically,
and everyone benefits from one less crew member taking up space inside.
On top of that, the commander of a K2 can take over control of the main gun from the
gunner and, in the event of emergency, the K2 can be operated by as little as one person,
thanks to that fire-and-forget KSTAM ammo – just remember, if you’re taking your
K2 out for a spin on your own, don’t try to multitask by driving and firing at the
same time.
In summary, its advanced armour, weapons, speed capabilities and need for minimal crew
are what make the K2 Black Panther the world’s most expensive tank.
So, are you ready to get your own and continue your villainous reign of terror?
Well, sadly you can’t, as civilians can only purchase military tanks that have been
decommissioned, meaning all weapons and firing systems have to be deactivated.
On top of that, you need a special permit to drive one in public, and rubberised treads
to avoid damaging the road.
So, if you had your heart set on owning a K2 tank for global domination, it’s probably
better to give your $8.5 million back to whoever you stole it from and turn yourself over to
the police.
We hope you enjoyed watching this episode of The Infographics Show!
If you did, then be sure to check out our videos on the “Top 10 Most Powerful Tanks”,
and “50 Insane Tank facts That Will Shock You”.
‘Tanks’ for watching…okay, we’ll see ourselves out.