[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Will the 'Heart of the K2 Tank' Be Replaced with a Domestic Version?

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) committee, chaired by the Minister of National Defense, reviewed and approved the 4th batch production plan for the K2 tank, drawing attention to whether the powerpack, considered the heart of the K2 tank, will be equipped with domestically developed components.

The 'powerpack' installed in the K2 tank is a term that combines the engine and transmission. It is a core device that drives the tank, which costs over 10 billion KRW per unit, and controls its speed and direction. The reason the K2 tank, a 50-ton-plus steel behemoth, can move freely is due to the powerpack's function. Therefore, the powerpack is also called the 'heart of the tank.'

The military has decided to proceed with the 4th batch production of the K2 tank, investing a total project cost of approximately 1.94 trillion KRW from next year until 2028. The number of units to be introduced is about 150.

Initially, during the development of the K2 tank in 2003, the powerpack was planned to be composed of foreign-made engines and transmissions. However, following a plan to fully domesticize the powerpack and create a completely domestic tank, 96.4 billion KRW (48.8 billion KRW for the engine + 47.6 billion KRW for the transmission) was allocated in 2005 to develop a domestic powerpack. The development project for the domestic transmission of the K2 tank's powerpack was undertaken by SNT Dynamics (formerly S&T Heavy Industries) from 2005 to 2014, with an investment of 48.5 billion KRW. The domestic powerpack for the K2 tank was developed in October 2014.

Modified Powerpacks in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Batches Due to Domesticization Failure

However, the 1st batch production of the K2 tank was carried out before the development of the domestic powerpack and was fully equipped with German-made powerpacks, being commissioned between 2014 and 2015. Subsequently, at the end of 2014, DAPA and the manufacturer Hyundai Rotem signed a contract for the 2nd batch production of 106 K2 tanks, agreeing to supply tanks equipped with domestic engines and domestic transmissions. The problem began at this point. Even after starting the 2nd batch production, the domestic transmissions intended for the powerpacks failed durability tests.

Thereafter, in February 2018, DAPA held the 109th Defense Acquisition Program Committee meeting and decided to equip the tanks with a hybrid powerpack combining a domestic engine and a German-made transmission. This resulted in the K2 tank, considered one of Korea's premium domestic weapons, having an unusual combination of a foreign transmission as its heart.

The K2 tanks equipped with the hybrid powerpack combining a domestic engine and German transmission passed a 3,200 km driving test and a low-temperature start test at minus 32°C in 2019. Consequently, from June of that year, the 2nd and 3rd batch K2 tanks equipped with the hybrid powerpack have been sequentially produced and deployed in the field.

Were the Test and Evaluation Standards for the Domestic Powerpack Appropriate?

At the time, some even suggested abandoning tank production. The criticism was that deploying over 250 tanks on the ground was tactically inappropriate during a period when long-range precision-guided weapons targeting Pyongyang from Daejeon airspace were being deployed. However, the military argued that no matter how advanced long-range precision-guided weapons become, battles will ultimately conclude with ground combat. The logic was that tanks lead the way, followed by troops to mop up, similar to how firefighting helicopters drop water bombs from the air and firefighters clean up the remaining embers.

On the other hand, controversy arose over the evaluation conditions for the powerpack applied to the K2 tank, with claims that the domestic product was tested under less favorable conditions compared to the German product. The German powerpack underwent operational test (OT) and developmental test (DT) evaluations as a new product, whereas the domestic powerpack was evaluated using prototypes that had already run 3,326 km for OT and over 9,643 km for DT. Considering the K2 tank's durability lifespan of 9,600 km, this meant that tanks at the end of their lifecycle were used for the developmental test evaluation.

Additionally, criticism was raised that the test evaluation standards were stricter for the domestic powerpack. The '8-hour, 100 km continuous driving' evaluation applied to the domestic powerpack was not applied to the German powerpack. As a result, the domestic powerpack experienced engine failure during the 8-hour continuous driving test.

However, the German powerpack was deemed 'fit for combat' based on test evaluations conducted between 2007 and 2008, while the domestic powerpack, starting from February 2009, encountered a total of 124 defects (42 requiring improvements) during testing and failed to receive a combat fitness rating.

Abandon the Project or Improve Quality Through Performance Upgrades?

Within the defense industry, there are voices suggesting that to develop a 'K-Defense premium weapon,' focus should be placed on performance upgrades rather than halting the project.

The U.S. Tomahawk missile is a representative example. The Tomahawk was first deployed in 1983. The initial model could only strike pre-programmed targets. However, through performance upgrades, it transformed into a strategic missile capable of arbitrarily designating and attacking other targets.

After proving its performance in the Gulf War, the 2001 Afghanistan invasion, the 2003 Iraq invasion, and the 2011 Libya airstrike operations, continuous performance upgrades have been made. Currently, the subsonic missile (890 km/h), guided by satellite navigation systems (GPS), is mainly launched from submarines and destroyers, maintaining an altitude of 30 meters and capable of striking targets up to 2,500 km away with pinpoint accuracy. It also has a system that allows the Tomahawk missile to loiter near the target until the optimal strike time. Additionally, the 'Tomahawk Tactical Weapon Control System' (TTWCS) has been upgraded.

An industry insider said, "If the K2 tank is equipped with a domestic transmission as well, fully domesticized K2 tanks could be supplied for additional exports to Poland and other markets," adding, "SNT Dynamics signed an export contract for transmissions to be installed in the Altay main battle tank (MBT) in January this year, demonstrating the level of domestic technology advancement."