×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
ARMOR INDEX
MODERN ARMIES
ARMOR BY COUNTRY
VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE VEHICLES
VEHICLES BY CONFLICT
VEHICLES BY TYPE
VEHICLES BY DECADE
COLD WAR VEHICLES
MODERN TANKS
MODERN ARTILLERY
Land Systems / Battlefield

ROTEM K1 (Type 88)


Main Battle Tank (MBT) [ 1986 ]



The ROTEM K1 is the standard frontline main battle tank for South Korean army forces.



Authored By: JR Potts, AUS 173d AB | Last Edited: 02/24/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
The South Korean military has used tanks developed and produced in the United States from the time of the Korean War. In the 1970's the Korean Government was concerned with its aging American family of tanks made up of the M47 and M48 Patton series. A main battle tank concept was needed to counter the North Korean Soviet tanks T-54/55 threat. The South Korean President, Park Chung-hee, and his administration wanted to build the new tank domestically so the Korean Army and the people would take national pride with Koreans producing a Korean tank and Park new his men would fight with a feeling of superiority in a tank built by their own countrymen. Having said that, the Koreans did not have the design expertise to develop, tool and manufacture such a tank. The Korean development team looked at multiple designs. Initially the team looked into obtaining rights to licensing produce the American M60A1 Patton tank.

The original plan was to acquire all the tanks available and produce new Pattons in Korea. This ended in a no-agreement because the amount of Patton's available was insufficient for the Korean's needs. Contracts were secured to upgrade existing Korean Patton's and the design team looked at production rights for the German Leopard 1. After some consideration, the Korean team felt that with new Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams being developed, producing older tank versions could reduce their ability to counter new Soviet designs. Instead, the tank chosen by the South Koreans would be a variation of the American M1 Abrams design - developed by the General Dynamics Land Systems company. Looking forward to the manufacture of the tank in South Korea, Hyundai Precision engineers were sent to study at General Dynamics and supervise production of the variation called the XK1.

With its origins in the M1 Abrams, it is easy to see the external similarities between the South Korea Type 88 (ROTEM K1) Main Battle Tank and the American M1 Abrams. Hyundai Precision & Inc Company Limited (now ROTEM) handled production of the vehicle locally in South Korea (though some parts production was handled overseas). Though the system was originally designed to take on the vast amounts of North Korean T-54/T-55/T-62 main battle tanks of Soviet design, the Type 88 has since grown to compete with the latest generation tanks from around the globe.

The Type 88 features the M68 105mm rifled main gun, though an upgunned M256 120mm variant is also available (standard in the K1A1). Full NBC protection, day/night sighting and a computerized fire control system round out the major features of this main battle tank. Crew accommodations is conventional by western standards and include the driver, ammunition loader, tank commander and gunner. The driver has controls to adjust suspension on-the-fly while the commander's station features stabilized sighting equipment along with an all-digital computer system.

Power is derived from the 1 x MTU 871 Ka-501 diesel engine developing up to 1,200 horsepower at 2,600rpm. Road speed is equal to 65 kilometers per hour with a range of 457 kilometers. Its listed weight is 51,000 kilograms.

The K1 has evolved into an AVLB (bridgelayer) and an ARV (Armored Recovery Vehicle). Malaysia is the other operator of the K1 series, this in the form of the K1M. Production of the system in all forms - as of this writing - is approximately 1,500 examples. The K1 entered service in 1986.©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.

Specifications



Hyundai ROTEM - South Korea
Manufacturer(s)
South Korea
Operators National flag of South Korea
1986
Service Year
South Korea
National Origin
4
Crew
1,500
Units


ENGINEERING
Onboard systems provide solutions to accomplish a variety of battlefield engineering tasks.
MAIN BATTLE TANK
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.


31.7 ft
(9.67 meters)
Length
11.8 ft
(3.59 meters)
Width
7.3 ft
(2.24 meters)
Height
112,436 lb
(51,000 kg)
Weight
56.2 tons
(Heavy-class)
Tonnage


1 x MTU 871 Ka-501 diesel developing 1,200 horsepower at 2,600rpm driving conventional track-and-wheel arrangement.
Drive System
40 mph
(65 kph)
Road Speed
284 miles
(457 km)
Road Range


K1:
1 x 105mm KM68A1 main gun in turret.
1 x 7.62mm M60E2-1 co-axial machine gun in turret.
1 x 12.7mm K6 Anti-Aircraft (AA) machine gun on turret roof.
1 x 7.62mm M60D GPMG at loader's cupola on turret roof.
12 x Smoke dischargers on turret.

K1A1:
1 x 120mm KM256 main gun in turret.
1 x 7.62mm M60E2-1 co-axial machine gun in turret.
1 x 12.7mm K6 Anti-Aircraft (AA) machine gun on turret roof.
1 x 7.62mm M60D GPMG at loader's cupola on turret roof.
12 x Smoke dischargers on turret.
AMMUNITION
47 x 105mm projectiles / 32 x 120mm projectiles.
1,000 x 12.7mm ammunition.
8,800 x 7.62mm ammunition.
12 x Smoke grenades.


XK1 - Developmental Designation; based largely on the American Abrams MBT.
K1 - Original production model; 1,027 examples
K1 PIP - Upgraded K1 models
K1E1 - Upgraded K1 PIP models based on K1A2 upgrades
K1A1 - Upgraded K1 model; 120mm main gun; 484 examples; upgraded to K1A2 standard.
K1 AVLB - Bridgelayer
K1 ARV - Armored Recovery Vehicle
K1M - Proposed Malaysian Export Variant; not accepted.
K1A2 - Upgraded K1A1 model; appearing in 2013; improved communications, navigation, amphibious capabilities, Active Protection System (APS), and crew comforts.


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Images



1 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
2 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
3 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
4 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
5 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
6 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
7 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
8 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
9 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
10 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.
11 / 11
Image of the ROTEM K1 (Type 88)
Image from the United States Department of Defense.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)