K2 Black Panther

K2 Black Panther
K2 Black Panther
	K2 Black Panther on static display
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); US$8.5 million (constant 2009 USD)
Produced	2008–present
No. built	Republic of Korea Army: Batch I: 100, Batch II: 106, Batch III: 54, Batch IV: 150 (ordered); Polish Land Forces: Batch I: 180 (ordered); Total: 440;
Specifications
Mass	Curb weight: 55 metric tons (54 long tons; 61 short tons) ; Combat weight: 56 metric tons (55 long tons; 62 short tons)
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	Batch I: STX Engine/MTU Friedrichshafen MT883 Ka-501 4-short stroke, 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel, dry weight: 2,064 kg ; 1,500 hp (1,103 kW); Batch II-IV: HD Hyundai Infracore DV27K 4-long stroke, 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel, dry weight: 2,550 kg ; 1,500 hp (1,110 kW);
Power/weight	27.3 hp/t (20.35 kW/t)
Transmission	Batch I-II: RENK HSWL 295 TM (5 forward, 5 reverse gears), dry weight: 2,450 kg; Batch III-IV: SNT Dynamics EST15K (6 forward, 3 reverse gears, in development), dry weight: 2,500 kg;
Suspension	Semi-active in-arm suspension unit (ISU) with dynamic track tension system (DTTS)
Fuel capacity	1,296 liters (342 U.S. gal)
Operational; range	450 km (280 mi)
Maximum speed	Paved road: 70 km/h (43 mph) ; Cross country: 50 km/h (31 mph) ; 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 based on use of network-centric warfare.

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 from 4 to 3, 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.

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.