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| K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tank Will Be Armed With Unique Ammo KSTAM-II |
International Military - South Korea's K2 Black Panther main battle tank (MBT) is known as the most expensive main battle tank in the world. To date, the K2 Black Panther is the most expensive main battle tank. The K2 Black Panther is estimated to be worth around US$8.5 million.
Not just a figment, South Korea's K2 Black Panther has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most expensive main battle tank in the world. Not only expensive, the K2 Black Panther developed by Hyundai ROTEM and the Defense Development Agency is also one of the most capable main tanks on the market today.
The K2 Black Panther main battle tank, which weighs 55 tons to 61 tons, strengthens the strength of South Korean tanks. Currently, South Korea relies on the K1 and K1A1 and the Russian-made T-80 in the face of the North Korean army's tank forces.
Quoted from Defense Security Asia, media reports that the tank, which uses the Rheimetall 120 mm L55 smoothbore cannon, entered service with the South Korean army in 2016 when 100 tanks were handed over to the country's army.
The South Korean military expects up to 300 K2 Black Panthers to join the country's military. South Korea manufactures its own Rheimetall 120mm gun under license from a German company. While the engine has a capacity of 1,500 horsepower developed by the well-known German engine maker, MTU.
The gun can also launch an anti-tank missile, the KSTAM-II, which can hit targets up to 5 miles away. Because it is relatively light compared to the Abrams tank which uses a 1,500 horsepower engine, the K2 Black Panther is still strong in terms of power-to-weight-ratio.
As for armor, the K2 Black Panther uses modular composite armor of undisclosed composition as well as Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks, with defense observers saying its level of protection is on par with the US military's MIA2 Abrams tank.
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| K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tank |
The K2 Black Panther tank uses an autoloader system with a maximum rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute and a maximum range of 10km from the gun, assisted by an advanced fire control system.
In addition to a sophisticated suspension system, the K2 Black Panther tank can also wade through rivers or lakes as deep as 4.2 meters. The sophistication and expensiveness of the K2 Black Panther has been recognized by the world.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, priced at $8.5 million dollars, the South Korean K2 Black Panther tank is the most expensive tank in the world. K2 is equipped with various features that make it very capable and deadly on the battlefield.
Presented with different challenges and terrain that is not entirely tank friendly, South Korea combines technology from around the world with its own ideas to build a combat vehicle to meet its needs. Guinness World Records has recognized the K2 Black Panther as the most expensive battle tank.
The K2 Black Panther was developed by Hyundai Rotem, a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group, for the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA). By combining better ergonomics and digitization, the MBT is designed to provide enhanced performance on the battlefield.
Given the possibility of North Korean aggression, South Korea has developed some of the most complex and sophisticated weapons in the world. The South Korean military has special requirements to remember the terrain of the peninsula.
The K2 has the ability to lean forward and backward. In the hull-down position, this increases the agility of the tank's main gun.
The K2 Black Panther tank can lift its main gun when leaning backwards to better target low-flying aircraft or higher targets in the hilly terrain of the Korean Peninsula. The tank also has outstanding water wading capability, making it ideal for the humid and marshy terrain of the Korean Peninsula.
The K2 Black Panther tank can wade through water to a depth of 4.1 meters (13 feet) using the expandable control tower/snorkel. The turret becomes watertight as it traverses a body of water, and up to 500 gallons of water can be loaded onto the ship as ballast to increase the tank's weight by nearly two tons and ensure it stays in contact with the ground.
The K2 can fire high-explosive shells and ordinary kinetic penetrators. The KSTAM-II is one of those unique ammunition. KSTAM is an anti-armor, top attack smart munition designed to attack the tank's weakest armored parts.
This ammunition is fired indirectly from the K2 main gun at targets up to 8 kilometers away, or approximately 5 miles away, on artillery-like trajectories. The KSTAM-II has adjustable fins that allow it to target enemy armored formations. Despite South Korea's desire to sell these tanks, the price of $8.5 million per unit made exports difficult.