When your neighbors are Kim Jung-Un-level crazy, you'd better make sure your defenses
are bigger and batter than anything they can throw at you.
Or at least just as crazy, like the K2 Black Panther's parachute munitions.
This 55 ton main battle tank is the latest to join South Korea's ground forces, and is
widely hailed as one of the most advanced and expensive main battle tanks ever produced.
Produced by Korean automotive mega-corporation, the Hyundai Rotem Company.
The design became production-ready in 2006, following 11 years in development and a research
budget expenditure of approximately US$230 million, It was planned that the K2 would
feature a domestically-designed powerpack, based upon the German-designed MTU-890, comprising
a Doosan Infracore Corporation 1,500 horsepower 12-cylinder diesel engine and a S&T Dynamics
transmission.
Weapon systems: Main armament: The Black Panther is armed
with a 120mm L/55 smoothbore gun indigenously developed by Hyundai Wia.
This is complemented by an autoloader, similar to that designed for the Leclerc tank; it
can fire up to 10 rounds a minute.The ammunition for the main gun is loaded in a 16-shell magazine.
The tank has a total ammunition capacity of 40 rounds for its main armamment.
Secondary weapons: 12.7 mm K6 heavy machine gun; 7.62 mm coaxial
machine gun.
The K2 is equipped with an advanced fire-control system, linked to an Extremely High Frequency
radar system deployed on the frontal arc of the turret, along with a traditional laser
rangefinder 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 a thermographic camera.
This allows the crew to fire accurately while moving as well as engage low-flying aircraf.
Defensive capabilities: Details of the composite armor of the Black
Panther are classified.
The frontal armor has been proven to be effective at defeating the 120mm round fired from the
L55 gun.
Explosive Reactive Armor blocks are also present, with the addition of Non-Explosive Reactive
Armor planned for the K2 PIP version.
The millimeter band radar system mounted on the turret is capable of operating as a Missile
Approach Warning System.
The vehicle's computer in turn can triangulate incoming projectiles, immediately warn the
vehicle crew and fire off Visual and Infrared Screening Smoke grenades, which can effectively
block optical, infrared and radar signatures.
Mobility and maneuverability: The K2 can travel at speeds of up to 70 km/h
on road surfaces, accelerate from 0 to 32 km/h within 8.7 seconds,and maintain speeds
of up to 52 km/h in off-road conditions.
It can also climb 60-degree slopes and vertical obstacles 1.8 meters in height.
Due to the relatively compact design of the engine, the designers were able to fit an
additional Samsung Techwin gas-turbine engine into the remaining compartment space.
The vehicle can cross rivers as deep as 4.1 meters using a snorkel system, which also
serves as a conning tower for the tank commander.
The system takes approximately 20~30 minutes to prepare.