106 additional K2 Black Panther MBTs Main Battle Tanks for South Korean army.

According to the Diplomat newspaper website, South Korea will produce 106 additional K2 Black Panther main battle tanks (MBTs) for the ROK (Republic of Korea) army. The K2 MBT is manufactured by the Company Hyundai Rotem and a first contract was signed in 2014 for the delivery of a first batch of 100 units.

K2 Black Panther main battle tank at Defense Exhibition in South Korea (Picture source Army Recognition)

Initially, the production of 100 additional K2 MBTs was expected for the end of 2017, but the order was postponed due to technical problems related to the automatic transmission produced by S&T Dynamics. Now the latest variant of the K2 will be fitted with a German transmission from the Company Renk and a a license-built German MTU 883 diesel engine.

The development of the K2 MBT was started in 1995 and the first prototype was unveiled in 2007. The K2 was presented for the first time to the public during the Defense Exhibition ADEX at the Seoul Airport in October 2009.

The K2 Black Panther entered officially in service with the South Korean army in 2016, and currently 100 K2 MBTs are in service with the ROKA (Republic of Korea Army). The South Korea army has requested a total of 600 MBTs.

The main armament of the K2 Black Panther MBT 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 armor on the K2 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 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).