ORIGINAL LINK : https://blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?blogId=rgm84d&logNo=223222565758
This is the new version of K2PL revealed at the 2023 MSPO. It is equipped with electronic warfare equipment that can jam drones, along with a completely redesigned turret.
Hyundai Rotem participated in the 28th International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) held in Kielce, Poland, and announced the latest version of K2PL Black Leopard and the K2 series combat vehicle.
Before MSPO 2023, it was announced that Korea and Poland would jointly develop a new generation of wheeled armored vehicles (Nowy Kolowy Transporter Opancerzony, NKTO).
Domestic media reported that NKTO is based on the K808 model, but it is actually a completely new development project for a medium-sized wheeled infantry combat vehicle in the mid-30-ton class.
On September 1, a Polish military expert revealed the NKTO (Nowy Kołowy Transporter Opancerzony: new wheeled armored vehicle) CG through SNS.
K2PL and NKTO project revealed!
Hyundai Rotem revealed the new model of K2PL Black Leopard, K2 CEV (combat engineer vehicle), K2 ARV (recovery vehicle), K2 AVLB (bridging vehicle), etc. at MSPO 2023. Subsequently, on September 14, it was announced that a consortium agreement between Hyundai Rotem and PGZ, which oversees the Polish defense industry, would be concluded soon.
◆ K2PL and NKTO negotiation content
According to the announcement of the Polish defense group PGZ, the preconditions of the consortium between Hyundai Rotem and Polish defense companies have already been agreed, and the remaining task is to develop a K2PL tank that satisfies the requirements of the Polish military procurement agency.
This means that the internal agreement on how the two companies will share the production volume and more explicitly how to share the profits in relation to the production of K2PL has been completed.
At the same time, since the K2PL project is not just Hyundai Rotem’s, but a joint project with Polish defense companies, it means that Polish local companies will voluntarily make efforts for project progress. In other words, even if the production project of 820 K2PL Black Leopards is reduced, the possibility of the project itself being completely scrapped has significantly weakened.
Looking at the agreed main content, the K2PL tank is planned to be produced at the WZM (Wojskowe Zaklady Motoryzacyjne) factory located in Poznan, and Hyundai Rotem provides not only the finished model but also the technology and parts necessary for production, and production management know-how. And efforts have also begun to apply parts produced in Poland to K2PL.
Hyundai Rotem showcased the K2 ARV (recovery vehicle), K2 CEV (combat engineer vehicle), and K2 AVLB (bridging vehicle) at the 2023 MSPO.
◆ Is it the finished version of K2PL?
Although the consortium agreement between Hyundai Rotem and PGZ has reached the final stage and the K2PL version reflecting the lessons of the Ukraine-Russia war was revealed through this exhibition, the performance requirement document for the Polish army’s K2PL tank has not been perfectly written as of mid-September.
The main issue is still combat weight, and as many lessons are derived as the Ukraine-Russia war progresses, the requirements of the Polish Army are also constantly changing. In addition, the Polish army ordered 180 K2GF tanks, and as these tanks began to be deployed and operated in the 16th Mechanized Division of the Polish Army, several improvements are gradually being identified.
Looking at the interview with the Polish media, overall, the operators of the Polish Army K2 tank praised it as a structurally and performance-wise upgraded version compared to the Leopard 2 and M1 series tanks.
However, since they also announced some improvements, we looked at the improvement plan through Military Review Easy 2310.
This is the K2G tank that the Polish Army is conducting a shooting test. Poland conducted a high-difficulty test, such as driving 200km for 100 hours while conducting three tank gun firings, at the same time as introducing the K2 tank.
Is the best issue defense?
A Hyundai Rotem official said that the delay in performance negotiations with the Polish army is due to the importance of the main battle tank, the voices inside Poland that are wary of defense cooperation with Korea, and various business ambitions to strengthen Poland’s defense industry capabilities through the K2PL tank project.
The biggest issue is of course the defense and combat weight. While the Polish army requires defense capabilities that can respond to all existing Russian tank threats, it is perplexing Hyundai Rotem’s developers by asking for a combat weight of less than 60 tons.
Hyundai Rotem said that to meet the defense conditions of the Polish army, the combat weight must be at least OO~OO tons, and the Polish side sometimes shows acceptance, but again asks to adjust the weight, and the requirements change every day. Along with the controversy related to the performance of K2PL, we analyzed the major decisions.
The K2 export model displayed at the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition in December 2022 uses composite armor instead of reactive armor on the turret top and the vehicle’s upper body. It features a wedge-shaped frontal armor, a turret that is close to a box shape.
Analysis of K2PL MSPO Version
The K2PL displayed at MSPO 2023 showed significant changes compared to the export version displayed by Hyundai Rotem at the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition in December 2022..
Looking at the K2 export model of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition, a wedge-shaped armor structure was installed on the front of the turret, and the overall structure of the turret was closer to a box shape. The Laser Warning Receiver (LWR) and external surveillance CCD camera were installed on the turret in an exposed form, and the smoke grenade launcher was located on the top of the turret..
◆ Improvements in K2PL MSPO
The new version of K2PL Black Leopard revealed at MSPO 2023 has reduced the area of the armor plate on the front of the turret and changed its shape to the original K2 tank shape. When viewed from the front of the turret, it takes on a diamond shape reminiscent of the K1 tank’s turret.. .
Thanks to the diamond shape, the area of the front and side armor of the turret has significantly reduced, and as a result, it has been able to reduce the combat weight while maintaining the defense. The previously exposed LWR or CCD camera and other external attachments have been integrated into the turret structure, and the smoke grenade launcher has also moved back inside the front of the turret.. .
The most interesting attachment is the equipment that looks like Lego blocks on top of the turret, in addition to the Trophy Active Defense System (ADS) operation support system..
The new version of K2PL MSPO has reduced the area of the armor plate on the front of the turret and changed its shape to the original K2 tank shape. When viewed from the front of the turret, it takes on a diamond shape reminiscent of the K1 tank’s turret.
Although the type of hard-kill active defense system has not been determined yet, a shielding structure has been added to the rear of the launcher to protect the crew from the blast pressure when the interceptor for the hard-kill active defense system is launched. This type of shielding structure is commonly found in tanks like the Israeli Merkava Mk 4 that operate the Trophy..
This is a Merkava Mk4 tank equipped with a Trophy. You can see the shielding structure at the rear of the Trophy Active Defense System interceptor launcher.
The new version of K2PL has significantly increased its volume around the turret’s rear by equipping a hard-kill active defense system.
The reason for this is not only the need for several system storage spaces that make up the hard-kill active defense system, but also to reinforce the relatively weak defense of the rear part of the turret..
The K2 export model unveiled at the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition was equipped with a thick composite armor structure instead of reactive armor on the turret and the upper body of the vehicle, but the new version of K2PL has applied reactive armor to the turret top, crew hatch, and the vehicle’s ammunition storage again... .
The reason is not only that reactive armor is much more advantageous in terms of weight reduction, but also because the threat of suicide drones has been strongly raised through the Ukraine-Russia war.
The Russian army is operating a large number of suicide drones, such as Lancet, to supplement the weakened artillery...
Does K2PL respond to suicide drones?
The weapons that played the biggest role in the Ukraine-Russia war are unmanned aerial vehicles and suicide drones..
The Russian army is using a large number of suicide drones, such as Lancet, to supplement the weakened artillery, and the current Ukrainian army is suffering significant damage. The Lancet suicide drone has a maximum range of 40km, and when it finds a target while scouting the surroundings using a video camera, it immediately performs a suicide attack in a state where a shaped charge of 3kg weight (based on Lancet-3) is built in. A shaped charge of 3kg weight can sufficiently penetrate the upper armor of the tank.....
This is a scene where a suicide drone hit a Ukrainian T64B tank. It shows that it prevented fatal destruction thanks to the reactive armor.
The reason suicide drones are a headache is that even if you equip a hard-kill active defense system, it is not easy to intercept if the angle of attack is more than 70 degrees. Fortunately, it was revealed that tanks that protected the upper and sides with reactive armor were relatively safe from suicide drone attacks through the Ukraine-Russia war, but it is still a big threat...
In response to suicide drones and attack drones, the K2PL MSPO version is equipped with a drone response system, so we analyzed it in detail.
In addition, we looked at how the K2PL mobility system and firepower system are planned..
{vi787} Germany developed the DM-11 MP-HE (Multi Purpose High Explosive) with programming fuze capability while observing the Afghanistan-Iraq war, and K2PL should be able to operate it.
