Tag: K-2 Tank

It looks like Putin’s War has opened a whole new market for the ROK defense industry:

Poland’s defense minister said his country will buy a large package of Korean weapons, including K-2 tanks, K-9 self-propelled howitzers and FA-50 light fighter jets, and also manufacture some weapons in Poland under license, according to a media report released Wednesday.  
   
In an interview with Polish defense media outlet Defence24, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak cited the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the main driver of the purchase.  
   
“The unpredictable nature of Putin means that we need to accelerate equipment modernization even further,” Blaszczak said. “It is of key importance to increase the levels of security as fast as possible for Poland. We can do this only by creating a powerful military that is strong enough to deter any potential aggressor from deciding to attack.” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Is this the tank that will one day be used to crush ISIS or will it be Kurds?

Turkey has completed the development of a new battle tank with South Korea’s technical support and assistance, media here said Thursday.

Otokar, a defense firm affiliated with local conglomerate Koc Holding, has finished the seven-year effort to develop the Altay.

A top company official was quoted as saying that the firm plans to begin mass production within the next 18 to 22 months.

The Altay project started in 2008 with Turkey signing a contract with Hyundai Rotem Co., a subsidiary of the Hyundai Group and the manufacturer of the K2 Black Panther battle tank, for technology transfer.

South Korea commenced the mass production of K2s in 2013 and each unit reportedly costs over US$8.5 million.  [Yonhap]

This will be a big upgrade to the ROK Army’s combat capabilities if they are able to field these additional K2 tanks which are a pretty impressive piece of military equipment:

South Korea’s military is pushing to field some 100 additional units of the locally built K2 Black Panther tanks to strengthen frontline defense against North Korea, a military official said Thursday.

“The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) submitted the request citing the need for 100 or so more K2 tanks in October and the Ministry of National Defense is carrying out a verification of the demand,” the military official said.

K2 is the South Korean Army’s main battle tank (MBT) and has been produced since 2013. The tank developed in the country has been reaching frontline units starting in 2014, with a total of 206 K2 tanks having been deployed or are in the process of being delivered.

The additional production plan, if accepted, would push up the number of the South Korean military’s fleet to more than 300 tanks. The K2s augment the K1 battle tanks that are in widespread service among the country’s military.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

I never had the chance to see the K-2 cross a river before, but having this capability is needed in South Korea with its many deep rivers:

A South Korean K-2 “Black Panther” tank sports an unusual-looking piece of equipment in this YouTube video. The tank, crossing a 13 foot deep river during a military exercise, is using a so-called fording kit to allow it to drive across the river bottom.

Bridges are often destroyed in wartime, and the pace of operations may mean only a limited number of portable bridges may be available. The solution to a potentially deadly traffic bottleneck: unlike many military vehicles, tanks are usually waterproof and their tracks still work underwater-so why not drive them underwater?  (………….)

Modern fording kits typically consist of a single smokestack-like pipe that connects to the tank commander’s hatch. This allows the tank commander to sit at the top, where he can keep an eye on the tank’s progress. The stack also serves as an escape hatch for the crew in case of emergencies.  [Popular Mechanics]

You can read more at the link.