K2 Black Panther | |
---|---|
Type | Main battle tank |
Place of origin | South Korea |
Service history | |
In service | 2014–present |
Used by | See Operators |
Production history | |
Designer | Agency for Defense Development Doosan Mottrol Hyundai Rotem Poongsan Corporation Samsung Thales Samyang Comtech WIA |
Designed | 1995–2008 |
Manufacturer | Hyundai Rotem |
Unit cost | ₩7.8 billion (production batch 1)[1] US$8.5 million (constant 2009 USD) |
Produced | 2008–present |
No. built | |
Specifications | |
Mass | Curb weight: 55 metric tons (54 long tons; 61 short tons) Combat weight: 56 metric tons (55 long tons; 62 short tons)[5] |
Length | Overall: 10.8 meters (35 ft 5 in) Chassis: 7.5 meters (24 ft 7 in) |
Width | 3.6 meters (11 ft 10 in) |
Height | Highest: 2.4 meters (7 ft 10 in) Lowest: 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) |
Crew | 3 (commander, gunner and driver) |
Armor | MIL-12560H armor steel and silicon carbide non-oxide ceramic plate along with ERA and NERA modular add-on armor |
Main armament | Hyundai WIA CN08 120 mm 55 caliber smoothbore gun (40 rounds) |
Secondary armament | 1× 12.7×99mm (.50 BMG) K6 heavy machine gun (3,200 rounds) 1× 7.62×51mm NATO coaxial machine gun (12,000 rounds) |
Engine |
|
Power/weight | 27.3 hp/t (20.35 kW/t)[5] |
Transmission |
|
Suspension | Semi-active in-arm suspension unit (ISU) with dynamic track tension system (DTTS)[5] |
Fuel capacity | 1,296 liters (342 U.S. gal) |
Operational range | 450 km (280 mi)[5] |
Maximum speed | Paved road: 70 km/h (43 mph) Cross country: 50 km/h (31 mph)[5] Acceleration from 0–32 km/h (0–20 mph) in 7.47 seconds (MT883 Ka-501) or 8.77 seconds (DV27K) |
K2 Black Panther (Korean: K-2 흑표; Hanja: K-2 黑豹; RR: K-2 Heukpyo) is a South Korean fourth-generation main battle tank (MBT), designed by the Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. The tank's design began in the 1990s to meet the strategic requirements of the Republic of Korea Army's reform for three-dimensional, high-speed maneuver warfare[9] based on use of network-centric warfare.[10][11][12]
The K2 Black Panther has an advanced fire-control system, in-arm suspension, and a radar, laser rangefinder, and crosswind sensor for lock-on targeting. Its thermographic camera tracks targets up to 9.8 km, and its millimeter-band radar acts as a Missile Approach Warning System, enhancing situational awareness, and soft-kill active protection system deploys smoke grenades to counter incoming projectiles. The K2's autoloader reduces crew size by 25%, providing a faster rate of fire, better fuel efficiency, and lower maintenance costs compared to other western main battle tanks that require human loaders. Additionally, the K2 can operate in indirect fire mode, offering key advantages over Western designs.[13]
Initial production began in 2008 and mass production began in 2013, and the first K2s were deployed to the Republic of Korea Army in July 2014.[14]