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During the Korean War, the first tanks deployed by the United Nations forces were the American
M24 Chaffee light tanks.
Not unexpectedly the M24s fared poorly against North Korea’s Soviet-built T-35-85s.
Following the war, the South Korean military bolstered its armored fleet with a variety
of U.S.-made tanks but attempts made to obtain the M60A1 Patton main battle tanks (MBTs)
in the 1970s ended in failure.
Always fearing that its neighbor to the north would launch an attack across the DMZ, South
Korea took matters into its own hands and developed a domestically produced tank – the
K1, which was based on the early designs of the American XM1 program that led to the development
of the M1 Abrams.
The new South Korean-made tank entered service in the late-1980s and has been steadily improved,
with the K1A2 entering service in 2013.
However, Seoul has moved forward with an entirely new design: the K2 Black Panther, a next-generation
MBT developed by the South Korean Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai
Rotem.
The K2 was meant to complement – rather than replace – the K1 series that are currently
fielded by the South Korean military.
The K2 was developed utilizing indigenous technology only, and the first prototype was
unveiled in 2007, while production commenced for the first 100 K2 tanks in 2014.
It is considered one of the most advanced MBTs in the world, outclassing any tanks in
service with North Korea or even China.
It relies on both an undisclosed modular composite armor and Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks,
and according to reports can withstand direct hits to the front from a 120mm tank round.
In addition, the K2 also is equipped with an active protection system as well as countermeasure
systems that include NBC (nuclear-biological-chemical) protection.
Heavy Hitter
The K2 Black Panther MBT has a crew of three members including a commander, gunner, and
driver.
The MBT’s main armament is a Rheinmetall 120mm L/55 smoothbore gun, produced under
license in South Korea and equipped with a domestically-designed automatic loader – which
can ensure the loading of projectiles on the move including when on uneven surfaces.
The 120mm gun can reportedly fire approximately 10 to 15 rounds per minute.
It can be used with a variety of munitions and is compatible with all standard NATO tank
rounds.
The secondary armament of the Black Panther includes a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and a
7.62mm machine gun.
South Korea’s next-generation tank is equipped with domestically-developed auto-target detection
and tracking system, which incorporates a hunter-killer function.
The tank also features an electric gun and turret driving system (28-260VDC) provided
by Doosan Corporation Mottrol.
In addition, the gunner’s primary sight (GPS) and commander’s panoramic sight (CPS)
are stabilized in two axes and include a thermal imager and laser rangefinder enabling day/night
observation.
Suspension System
While not as speedy as its namesake, the Black Panther can still hunt down its slower-moving
prey thanks to its license-built MTU MB 883 Ka501 diesel engine, which produces 1,500
horsepower.
It can reach a top speed of 43 mph on the road, and 31 mph cross country.
There is also an auxiliary gas-turbine power unit, offering 400 horsepower.
The tank also is equipped with a unique suspension system, which can be contorted into a variety
of positions.
For cross-country performance, the suspension is raised, providing the K2 greater ground
clearance, while on roads, the suspension is lowered, hugging the ground for better
speed.
In addition, the K2 can “lean,” “sit” or “kneel” to provide the main gun better
maneuverability in hull-down positions.
When leaning backward, the K2 can raise its main gun to target low-flying aircraft, or
to better target more highly elevated targets on Korean Peninsula’s hilly terrain.
The K2 even has the ability to lean to the left or the right, which improves maneuverability
when driving along slopes.
KSTAM-II:
Like nearly all tanks, the K2 can shoot standard high-explosive rounds and kinetic penetrators.
One of its unique munitions is the KSTAM-II.
The KSTAM is an anti-armor, top-attack smart munition that targets the lowest armored parts
of tanks, the top.
This munition is fired from the K2’s main gun at a target indirectly, following an artillery-like
trajectory at targets up to 8 kilometers away, or nearly 5 miles.
When airborne, the KSTAM uses adjustable fins to maneuver towards the target.
Once in the vicinity, the KSTAM deploys a parachute, slowing it down and giving it time
to find a target and fire an explosively formed penetrator downwards at a tank’s weak top
turret armor.
Exporting the Black Panther
Even as Seoul is currently adopting the tank for its domestic use, the tank has caught
the eye of foreign buyers including the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), which announced
that it would put the K2 up against the German-made Leopard 2A7 in tests to determine Norway’s
next MBT.
Last December, Cairo also announced that it was in negotiations with South Korea to co-produce
a version of the Black Panther for use by the Egyptian Army.
Trade between Egypt and South Korea has increased in recent years and reached nearly $2 billion
in 2020 in engineering and electrical goods, furniture, clothes, chemical products, fertilizers,
and medical industries.
Seoul has also invested some $570 million into 181 projects in Egypt, including construction,
information technology, tourism, and agriculture.
Now Cairo is looking to Seoul for military hardware and that will likely include the
K2 Black Panter.
Though expensive, the K2 Black Panther is technologically sophisticated and unique.
Its suspension and water crossing ability is optimal for Korea’s hilly and swampy
conditions — and combined with top-attack munitions, the K2 would be a hard nut to crack.
The K2 Blank Panther would give North Korea a headache in any war – According to the
Guinness World Records organization, the indigenously-developed K2 Black Panther tank is the most expensive
tank in the world at $8.5 million dollars.
This is for a good reason though: the K2 has a number of features that make it incredibly
capable–and quite deadly on the battlefield.