K2PL weighs 55 tons, making it lighter than the 68-ton M1 Abrams. The K2PL is heavily armored and includes the Korean Active Protection System, designed to intercept incoming rockets and anti-tank missiles.
The gun is served by an automatic loading system, reducing the human crew to three. Like the Abrams, the K2PL is also equipped with a 120-millimeter main gun, though the gun barrel is slightly longer to impart a greater muzzle velocity. Chung Sung-Jun // Getty Imagesĭeveloped by Hyundai, the K2PL is a Polish variant of South Korea’s latest main battle tank and in the same category as the American Abrams. K2 tank shown in South Korean service, 2015. Under the terms of the deal, Poland will acquire 980 K2 “Black Panther” main battle tanks, renaming the tank “Wilks” (“Wolf”). government and civilian contractor personnel over the next five years. The deal also includes training simulators, technical manuals, and funds for paying 74 U.S. It’s part of an even larger $6 billion deal that includes 26 M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicles, 17 M1110 Joint Assault Bridges, 776 tank machine guns, and about 33,000 rounds of tank gun ammunition. The contact is worth $1.15 billion, or $4.6 million per tank. Last week, Sterling Heights, Michigan-based General Dynamics Land Systems announced a contract with the Polish government to build 250 M1A2 System Enhancement Program version 3 (SEPv3) Abrams main battle tanks. ✈︎ Don’t miss any of our best-in-class military and defense news. Poland has a history of being a stomping ground for larger, more powerful countries, and Warsaw’s purchase of nearly 1,300 new American and South Korean tanks is a strong signal those days are over.
The improvements are designed to deter, and if necessary, defeat Russia if it continues its march west. One of the world’s largest and most modern tank arsenals will soon belong to … Poland.įollowing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Polish government is embarking on a multi-billion dollar upgrade of its ground forces. Warsaw made the decision to purchase the tanks after Russia’s invasion of its neighbor Ukraine.
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