The South Korea Military has four branch divisions - the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.
The largest contingent is the Army with an average of about 550,000 draftees in
service at any given year. The troops are divided into three armies with the 1st army GOC (Ground
Operations Command) responsible for defense of the capital and the western DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone),
the 3rd army GOC responsible for the eastern DMZ and the 2nd army ROC (Rear Operations Command)
held in reserve in the south. The large number of troops is required
due to the demanding mountainous terrain found throughout the Korean Peninsula and the 1
million-strong land army commanded by North Korea, of which two-thirds are garrisoned at the DMZ.
The Army's material command has an available 4,975 tanks that include the old M47 Patton, M48 Patton,
and the newer ROTEM K1 and ROTEM K1A1 main battle tanks (these a variant of the American M1 Abrams
though produced indigenously in South Korea) along with a collection of assorted armored vehicles.
5,508 artillery systems of all types - tracked, wheeled or towed - are also available.
The South needed an advanced main battle tank to help stem North Korea's human tide
and their own advanced tanks from in the event of all-out war. The new K2 series was developed from
the XK2 program becoming the "Black Panther" K2 Main Battle Tank. The K2 uses a German MTU 1500 hp
Europowerpack engine and has a 120 mm Rheinmetall smoothbore gun with an autoloader provided a
rate-of-fire of up to 15 rounds per minute. The rounds reportedly can penetrate the armor of the
M1A2 Abrams American tank. Radar equipment and laser detection systems along with reactive armor
are comparable to the French LeClerc and the US M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks.
The K2 is fitted with a water snorkel (via kit) and can cross water obstacles of up to 4.2 meters
deep. The water-tight system takes about 30 minutes to set up and the tank can fire its
main gun as soon as it is on dry land. The K2 can accelerate from 0 kmh to 32 kmh in approximately
7 seconds. She can also climb a 60-degree slope and clear vertical obstacles of up to 1.3 meters.
The main armament of the K2 Black Panther consists of a German-made Rheinmetall 120-mm/
L55 smoothbore gun produced under license in South Korea.
The gun is fitted with an automatic loader which ensures the loading of projectiles on the move
even when the vehicle moves on uneven surfaces. The 120mm gun can fire about 10 rounds per minute.
With a total supply of 40 various rounds, the Black Panther can rain hellfire
on an enemy position for nearly three minutes before needing resupply.
A total of 16 rounds are stored in the autoloader and 24 rounds are stored inside the hull.
The K2 can fire a wide range of munitions using its main gun including, but not limited to,
an indigenously developed and improved tungsten APFSDS kinetic energy penetrators,
which offer significantly better penetration than the previous generation tungsten rounds,
and multi-purpose HEAT chemical energy rounds similar to the American M830A1 HEAT MP-T that
can be used against personnel, unarmored and lightly armored vehicles on the ground
as well as low-flying helicopters. A 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun is mounted to the left side
of the main armament. A 12.7 mm K-6 heavy machine gun is mounted on the top right of the turret.
Visual and Infrared Screening Smoke (VIRSS) grenade launchers mounted on each side at
the front of the turret also complement the defensive layer of the Black Panther.
The layout of the K2 MBT is conventional, with the driver's compartment at the front,
fighting compartment in the center and engine and transmission at the rear. The armor on the Black
Panther consists of an unknown type of composite armor and an Active Defense System utilizing
Explosive Reactive Armor blocks. The K2 has a crew of three with a driver at the front center of
the hull and commander and gunner in the turret. Systems protection of the K2 includes a millimeter
band radar system mounted on the turret which is used as a Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS).
The tank's computer in turn can triangulate incoming projectiles, immediately warn the vehicle
crew and fire off Visual and Infrared Screening Smoke (VIRSS) grenades, which can effectively
block optical, infrared, and radar signatures. Once the hard-kill AMS is installed, the radar
system will also be responsible for tracking and targeting the incoming missiles for the AMS.
The K2 also has a Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and radar jammer. Four all-bearing Laser warning
receivers (LWR) are also present to alert the crew should the vehicle become "painted",
and the computer can also fire off VIRSS grenades in the direction that the beam is coming from.
The K2 Black Panther was previously motorized with an MT 833 diesel engine from Tognum, but
the latest version of the tank is now fitted with a license-built German MTU 883 diesel engine and a
Renk transmission system. The engine generates 1,500 hp. and provides a power to weight ratio
of 27.3hp/t. The fully automatic transmission of the K2 includes five forward and three reverse
gears. The K2 can run at a maximum speed 70 km/h on surface roads while being able to maintain
speeds up to 48 km/h in off-road conditions. It can accelerate from 0 to 32 km/h within 7 seconds.
It can also climb 60-degree slopes and vertical obstacles 1.3 meters in height.
The suspension of the K2 Black Panther consists on each side of six dual rubber-tired roadwheels,
track-return rollers with the drive sprocket at the rear, and idler at the front. The upper part
of the suspension is covered by an armored skirt. The K2 Black Panther fields an advanced suspension
system, called the In-arm Suspension Unit (ISU), which allows for individual control of every bogie
on the tracks. This allows the tank to kneel so that the main armament can be depressed to -10º.
The K2 Black Panther is equipped with an advanced fire-control system
(FCS) linked to a millimeter band radar system deployed on the frontal arc of the turret,
along with a traditional laser range-finder and crosswind sensor. The system is capable
of a "lock-on" mode, which can acquire and track specific targets up to a range of 9.8 km
using thermal optics. This allows the crew to fire accurately while moving as well as effectively
engage low-flying aircraft. The gunner sight includes Gunner's Primary Sight (KGPS) and the
commander is equipped with Korean Commander's Panoramic Sight (KCPS). The commander has the
ability to override the command to take control of the turret and gun from the gunner. The K2
Black Panther is fitted with a collective nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) protection system.
The ammunition compartment is equipped with a blow-off panel for protecting the crew
against the explosion of ammunition. An automatic fire suppression system
is programmed to detect and put out any internal fires that may occur,
and atmospheric sensors alert the crew if the tank enters a hazardous environment.
The K2 can cross rivers as deep as 5 meters using a snorkel system, which also serves as a conning
tower for the tank commander. The system takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare.
The turret becomes watertight while fording, but the chassis can take in 500 gallons of water to
prevent excessive buoyancy from the air inside the vehicle and keep the tracks planted firmly
on the ground. Furthermore, the tank can enter combat-ready status as soon as it resurfaces.