[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Additional K-2 Tank Acquisition VS Existing Tank Performance Upgrade

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Interest is growing in the additional procurement of the K2 'Black Panther' tank as the South Korean military has decided on the third production phase of the K2 tank. This is because there is a crossroads between whether to procure additional K2 tanks equipped with German-made transmissions instead of the domestically produced transmissions, which have been controversial, or to upgrade the performance of the currently held K1A1 tanks and others.

On the 25th, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held a Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee meeting chaired by Defense Minister Seo Wook, where they reviewed the third production plan for the K2 tank and decided to procure about 50 additional K2 tanks from this year through 2023. The 'powerpack,' the heart of the K2 tank, consists of an engine and a transmission; the engine has been domestically produced, while the transmission has been German-made. Although efforts to domestically produce the transmission have been ongoing, performance issues have caused controversy, leading to the decision to equip the tanks with the existing 'mixed powerpack.'

During the initial production inspection of the domestic powerpack, the engine met defense standards, but problems occurred with the transmission. As a result, the second production phase applied the mixed powerpack (domestic engine + foreign transmission) instead of the domestic powerpack. During the second phase, the performance issues of the domestic transmission caused a delay in production by about three years and five months.

The Army is currently deliberating on the fourth procurement of the K2 tank. So far, the Army has pushed forward with the first production phase (100 units), second production phase (106 units), and third production phase (54 units). Within the military, it is expected that if the Army proceeds with the fourth production phase, the number will exceed 100 units. The Army advocates for additional procurement of the K2 tank because it is a world-class tank developed with domestic independent technology. It possesses performance equal to or exceeding that of advanced countries' main battle tanks such as the U.S. M1A2 SEP, France's Leclerc, and Germany's Leopard A6EX.

The K2 tank boasts driving capabilities of 50 km/h across rough terrain, the ability to ford rivers up to 4.1 meters deep while submerged, and suspension systems that ensure safety and control of the chassis during movement. Notably, it is equipped with advanced features such as an automatic loading system that quickly reloads shells during movement, automatic target detection and tracking systems, an electric turret drive system, and tactical information processing devices, all of which have enhanced the performance of domestically produced tanks.

Some argue that the performance of the K1 and K1A1 tanks is urgently in need of improvement to counter North Korea's anti-tank rockets. North Korea is accelerating the development of projectiles capable of penetrating South Korean tanks. The kinetic and chemical energy rounds used by North Korea's T-54 tanks, Seongunho, and Cheonmaho can penetrate South Korea's K1 and K1A1 tanks. North Korea employs chemical energy rounds capable of penetrating armor thicknesses of 550 mm and new chemical energy rounds that can penetrate up to 900 mm. Considering that the armor thickness of the K1 tank is 350 mm, it is vulnerable and can be easily penetrated.

In the first performance upgrade project, the Army requested a review from the Joint Chiefs of Staff because protection against North Korean anti-tank missiles was excluded. The Army argues that to enhance the tank's armor protection, the tank's thickness must be increased, which would increase the tank's weight from 51 tons to 57 tons and reduce its speed. Therefore, upgrading the 1,200-horsepower engine and transmission (powerpack) is inevitable.

According to simulations conducted by the Army, securing about 100 additional K2 tanks is necessary to counter North Korea's armored forces. If the deployment of the K2 tank is delayed, additional production of the K1A1 tank could be considered, but even that is difficult. According to DAPA, if a production line is established to reproduce the K1A1 tank, the production cost per tank is expected to rise from the initial launch price of 4.7 billion KRW to 7 billion KRW.

The engine currently installed in the K1 series is a product of German MTU, domestically produced through technology partnership with a Korean company. When introduced in 1988, the price per unit was 280 million KRW, but it has now risen to 650 million KRW. The German side states that the price increase is inevitable due to small-scale production. If the K1 series tanks are completely phased out and replaced entirely by K2 tanks, the cost will increase further. Replacing about 1,000 K1 tanks and 480 K1A1 tanks with K2 tanks is estimated to cost over 14 trillion KRW.

Overseas, there is also a trend to upgrade engine performance to enhance tank protection. Russia increased the weight of the T-72 tank introduced in 1973 (41 tons, 780-horsepower diesel engine) to 46 tons last year and equipped it with a 1,130-horsepower diesel engine. The T-90 tank introduced in 1993 (46 tons, 840 horsepower) was also increased to 48 tons in 2014 and replaced with a 1,130-horsepower diesel engine. Israel's situation is similar. The Merkava tank introduced in 1983 (63 tons, 908 horsepower) was increased to 65 tons and upgraded with a 1,500-horsepower diesel engine.