Is Korea seizing the opportunity to export the K2 Black Panther Super Tank in bulk to rich countries and emerging markets?
The problem will be solved with a high localization rate
In a recent statement, the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said that
the K2 MBT is ready for mass production with a new domestic engine
Unlike the first mass production using a foreign power pack
the localization rate has increased with a mixed power pack that combines a domestic engine, cooling system and foreign transmission
The power pack is a device composed of the engine, transmission, and cooling device, and is responsible for generating the power of the tank
In fact, the K2 tank has been put into service by the Korean army since 2014
The product is designed by the South Korean Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai Rotem
The original K2 used a lot of imported components and parts, most notably the engine and transmission
Because of this problem, K2 Black Panther is considered one of the most expensive tanks in the world
On the standard version, the K2 tank is equipped with a German MTU MB-883 Ka-500 diesel engine with a capacity of 1,500 hp
and a 5-speed automatic transmission system of Renk
The first 100 production K2s would use German-made MTU powerpack and that service entry would be delayed until March 2014
After mastering the K2 tank manufacturing technology
in 2017, the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) set a requirement
to localize the imported equipment of this tank in a new upgrade package
Accordingly, the new version is equipped with a new Doosan Infracore engine and S&T Dynamics EST15K transmission system developed by domestic companies
However, during testing, the domestic transmission failed to meet reliability and forced the Korean army to continue using the Renk powertrain
In February 2018, DAPA announced the second batch would have a “hybrid” powerpack
consisting of the locally developed engine with the German RENK transmission system, allowing them to start entering service in 2019
An additional contract for the production of a third batch of about 110 K2s is to follow within the next several years
According to military experts, the autonomy of spare parts and components on complex military equipment such as tanks
plays a very important role for each country, including South Korea
The autonomy of domestic equipment will help the K2 tank easily participate in international military events and open up huge export opportunities
The localization of important components such as engines and transmissions
will help Korea to proactively produce the number of K2 tanks according to demand
as well as reduce production costs to increase competitiveness in the international arms market
Currently, South Korea is working with Turkey and some other countries to develop export variants of the K2 Black Panther tank