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).
June 2022 - South Korea and Poland have announced joint-development of the K2PL MBT variant for the Polish Army.
Power & Performance Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Hyundai ROTEM K2PL Main Battle Tank (MBT).
1 x Hyundai Doosan Infracore DV27K 4-long stroke, 12-cylinder water-cooled, diesel-fueled engine driving conventional track-and-wheel arrangement. Installed Power
43 mph 70 kph Road Speed
280 miles 450 km Range
Structure The physical qualities of the Hyundai ROTEM K2PL Main Battle Tank (MBT).
3 (MANNED) Crew
35.4 ft 10.8 meters O/A Length
11.8 ft 3.6 meters O/A Width
7.9 ft 2.4 meters O/A Height
121,254 lb 55,000 kg | 60.6 tons Weight
Armament & Ammunition Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Hyundai ROTEM K2PL Main Battle Tank (MBT).
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.
AMMUNITION: 40 x 120mm projectiles.
12,000 x 7.62mm ammunition.
3,200 x 12.7mm ammunition.
12 x Smoke grenades.
Variants Notable series variants as part of the Hyundai ROTEM K2PL family line.
K2PL - Base Series Designation.
Operators Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Hyundai ROTEM K2PL. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.
Total Production: 0 Units Contractor(s): Hyundai ROTEM - South Korea; State Factories - Poland
[ Poland (planned) ]
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Image from the Untied States Department of Defense imagery database; Public Release.
Going Further... The Hyundai ROTEM K2PL Main Battle Tank (MBT) appears in the following collections:
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