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Land Systems / Battlefield

Hyundai ROTEM K2PL


Main Battle Tank (MBT) [ 2025 ]



The K2PL is a joint South Korean-Polish Main Battle Tank development intended for Polish Army forces based in the South Korean Black Panther design.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/22/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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The K2PL is a planned Polish-centric variant of the South Korean K2 "Black Panther" Main Battle Tank (MBT). A deal between the two countries was announced in June of 2022 to develop the tank for the Polish Army service and succeed an aging collection of Soviet-era T-72 and Polish-modified P-91 "Twardy" - the latter itself a further development of the T-72M1 sub-variant. Poland has already committed some of its T-72 stock to Ukraine for its fight against the invading Russians in the war begun during February 2022.

The K2 series was developed from 1995 to 2008 and entered service in 2014. Three total production lots have emerged thus far with production totals reaching 260 since 2008. Design of the tank is attributed to the Agency for Defense Development and manufacture of the vehicle is handled by Hyundai Rotem.

The tank weighs 61 tons (short) and has an overall length of 35.4 feet, a beam of 11.9 feet, and a height of 7.9 feet. Inside is an operating crew of three, similar to the arrangement as seen in Soviet-era tanks (an autoloader takes the place of the forth crewman). Main armament is 1 x 120mm /55 caliber smoothbore gun and this is supported by 1 x 7.62mm co-axial Anti-Infantry (AI) General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) in the front turret face with 1 x 12.7mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) on the turret roof.

Later production lots have been finished with the Hyundai Doosan Infracore DV27K 4-long stroke, 12-cylinder water-cooled, diesel-fueled engine offering 1,500 horsepower to the conventional track-and-wheel arrangement. This is mated to a German RENK HSWL 295 TM transmission system. All told, the tank reaches road speeds of 45 miles-per-hour out to a range of 280 miles. Suspension is through an In-arm Suspension Unit (ISU) arrangement offering excellent cross-country capabilities.

Armor protection is standard steel with add-on plates and Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks. Further enhancing systems and crew survivability is the Korean Active Protection System (KAPS) "soft-kill / hard-kill" anti-missile defense system.

Beyond this, the vehicle supports a complete Command, Control, & Communications (C3) uplink, Global Positioning Satellite uplink, Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF), and complete digital Battle Management System (BMS) with possible drone integration.

Poland would not be the first operator of the K2 tank as Turkey took the honor with an announcement in June 2007. This has resulted in a localized form known as the "Altay" for Turkish Land Forces.

It is expected that once the K2PL becomes operational, its chassis is to serve in other needed battlefield roles (as the T-72 did before it).©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

June 2022 - South Korea and Poland have announced joint-development of the K2PL MBT variant for the Polish Army.

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Specifications



Service Year
2025

Origin
Poland national flag graphic
Poland

Status
Crew
3
CREWMEN
Production
0
UNITS


Hyundai ROTEM - South Korea; State Factories - Poland
(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)
National flag of Poland Poland (planned)
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Main Battle Tank (MBT)
Primary armored ground combat unit of modern armies utilizing speed, protection, and / or firepower to spearhead armored assaults.
Frontline Asset
Frontline unit used to take direct part in forward operating actions against enemy positions / targets.
Tank-vs-Tank
Engage armored vehicles of similar form and function.


Track-and-Wheel Arrangement
Vehicle utilizes a track-and-wheel arrangement to provide enhanced cross-country travel capability.
Primary Turret
A modern tank quality, this vehicle sports its main armament in a single turret.
Remote Weapon Station (RWS)
Vehicle supports a remote-operated weapons station, reducing crew exposure to outside dangers.
Recoil Enhancement
Main weapon has an integral recoil mechanism, allowing the system to remain trained-on-target after firing.
Cross-Country Capability
Design includes such features as a track-link system or high ground clearance to better traverse offroad.
Angled Armor
Angled armor at key facings adds inherent ballistics protection to the vehicle.
Shallow Glacis
The shallow design of the glacis plate provides the vehicle with inherent ballistics protection as well as contributes to a lower overall profile - making it more difficult to disable.
Enhanced Armor Protection
Protection is enhanced by way of additional armor being installed over that of standard levels; plate steel for older designs and reactive armor for modern types.
Armored Skirt
Additional protection to the upper track reaches and roadwheels is achieved by way of addon armored skirts along the sides of the hull.
NBC Protection
Crew is provided (either as standard or optional) protection against Nuclear-Biological-Chemical agents for enhanced survivability in contaminated zones.
Smoke Screening
Vehicle has capability to self-generate a smoke screen, either through launched grenades or built-in engine funtion (raw fuel injection).
Nightvision
Crew has access to night-vision equipment, allowing for low-light or night time operations.
Anti-Aircraft / Air-Defense Capable
System is given an anti-aircraft defense component to protect itself from low-flying aerial threats at range.
Anti-Tank Capable
Onboard solution provides ability to neutralize armored or fortified targets at range through missile or penetrating ballistic weapons.
Anti-Infantry
Vehicle features an in-built anti-infantry capability for local defense of the vehicle or general troop suppression.
Remote Weapons Station
Vehicle supports an unmanned weapons station controlled remotely from within the safety of the vehicle.
Versatility
Vehicle's proven running gear and overall makeup lends itself well to fulfill other battlefield roles by way of specialized designs.


Length
35.4 ft
10.8 m
Width
11.8 ft
3.6 m
Height
7.9 ft
2.4 m
Weight
121,254 lb
55,000 kg
Tonnage
60.6 tons
HEAVY
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Hyundai ROTEM K2PL production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)
Powerplant: 1 x Hyundai Doosan Infracore DV27K 4-long stroke, 12-cylinder water-cooled, diesel-fueled engine driving conventional track-and-wheel arrangement.
Transmission: 1 x REK HSWL 295 TM transmission with 5-forward, 5-reverse speeds.
Speed
43.5 mph
(70.0 kph)
Range
279.6 mi
(450.0 km)
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Hyundai ROTEM K2PL production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)
1 x 120mm /55 caliber main gun in front turret face.
1 x 7.62mm co-axial General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) in front turret face.
1 x 12.7mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) on turret roof.
12 x Smoke grenade dischargers.


Supported Types


Graphical image of a tank cannon armament
Graphical image of a tank medium machine gun
Graphical image of a tank heavy machine gun
Graphical image of tank /armored vehicle smoke grenade dischargers


(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
40 x 120mm projectiles.
12,000 x 7.62mm ammunition.
3,200 x 12.7mm ammunition.
12 x Smoke grenades.


K2PL - Base Series Designation.


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Images Gallery



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Image of the Hyundai ROTEM K2PL
Image from the Untied States Department of Defense imagery database; Public Release.


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