Urgent Need to Upgrade Tanks to Counter North Korea's Killer Weapons [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]

Software such as automatic navigation upgraded in tanks
Enhanced engine performance needed to defend against North Korean anti-tank rounds

Tanks are evolving. Our military currently operates K1 tanks and K1A1 tanks. These tanks are equipped with upgraded battlefield management systems, identification friend or foe (IFF) devices, automatic navigation, and front and rear surveillance cameras.

Main battle tank appearing at the military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News (Korean Central TV image)

The performance upgrade of the K1A1 tank has already been completed, and the upgrade of the K1 tank is scheduled to be finished within this year. The newly installed identification friend or foe device distinguishes between enemy and friendly forces and displays the identification result on the battlefield management system screen. Because it allows crews to intuitively distinguish between enemy and friendly forces, it can prevent damage caused by friendly fire. The front and rear surveillance cameras show the front and rear of the tank. They allow crews to check obstacles in front of and behind the tank without exposing themselves outside, which is advantageous for securing the driver's field of view during closed-hatch maneuvering. They also help prevent non-combat losses caused by safety accidents.

Upgrading domestic tank IFF and other capabilities

Some experts argue that the upgrade of the powerpack also needs to be accelerated. North Korea is speeding up the development of rounds capable of penetrating our tanks. Kinetic energy rounds and chemical energy rounds used by North Korea's T-54 tanks, Songun-ho tanks, and Chonma-ho tanks can penetrate our K1 and K1A1 tanks. North Korea is using chemical energy rounds that can penetrate armor with a thickness of 550 mm, as well as new chemical energy rounds that can penetrate armor with a thickness of 900 mm. The armor thickness of the K1 tank is 350 mm. In such a situation, we would have no other choice but to be helplessly exposed. To stop North Korean rounds, the ballistic protection of our tanks must be improved. In practical terms, this means the armor of the tank must be made thicker. The problem is weight. The weight of the tank would increase from 51 tons to 57 tons. The speed of the tank would inevitably become slower. This is why the 1,200-horsepower engine and transmission (powerpack) must be upgraded without delay.

Higher protection means more weight, requiring higher engine performance

Overseas as well, the trend is to upgrade engine performance in order to strengthen tank protection. Russia increased the weight of the T-72 tank introduced in 1973 (41 tons at the time of introduction with a 780-horsepower diesel engine) to 46 tons and installed a 1,130-horsepower diesel engine. The T-90 tank introduced in 1993 (46 tons and 840 horsepower) was also upgraded in 2014 by increasing its weight to 48 tons and replacing its engine with a 1,130-horsepower diesel engine. Israel has followed a similar path. It increased the weight of the Merkava tank introduced in 1983 (63 tons and 908 horsepower) to 65 tons and upgraded its performance with a 1,500-horsepower diesel engine.

The number of tanks must also be increased. North Korea has a total of 4,300 tanks. The Worker-Peasant Red Guards, which correspond to our reserve forces, have 900 tanks (T-34 and M-1985 light tanks); front-line and rear-area corps have 2,200 tanks (T-54/55); and tank and mechanized corps have 950 tanks (five variants of the Chonma-ho). This is twice the number of our tanks. In particular, in the tank and mechanized corps, the turrets of existing tanks have been upgraded to extend their range. Their speed has also increased. The Songun-ho, for example, has excellent mobility, with a speed of about 70 km/h. In addition, the number of Pokpung-ho tanks, which are upgraded versions of the T-62, is also believed to have increased.

Serious aging of M-series tanks introduced in the 1970s

By contrast, our military’s tank force is severely insufficient. Our military has completely retired the M-47 tanks introduced from the United States in the 1960s. Since then, it has deployed in active service about 800 M-series tanks introduced from the United States in the 1970s, about 1,000 K1 tanks, about 480 K1A1 tanks, and about 100 K2 tanks. Among these, the M-series tanks operated by seven divisions have become so old that their mobility has dropped from 50 km/h to 20-30 km/h. As aging progresses, problems such as performance degradation and increased operation and maintenance costs are also emerging. Of the 4,773 spare parts for the M-series tanks, production of 906 items has been discontinued. Tank gun barrels have not been produced since 2019. The method of using parts from decommissioned tanks is also becoming useless.

A military official said, "When comparing the ground forces of the two Koreas, quality is more important than quantity, but we must still secure sufficient forces required for operations."