The South Korean Black Panther tank is the main battle tank created in accordance with modern technologies. The Defense Development Agency and Roten took part in the development of the machine.
Development Features
The development of the tank was carried out by its own agency in Korea, while all technologies and design solutions were used only by its own, that is, the tank cannot be licensed by foreign manufacturers. The cost of the tank reaches almost $ 9 million. The Black Panther tank underwent research for 7 years - from 1995 to 2002, and spent about 230 million rubles on its development and improvement. This model, according to the plans of South Korean developers, was supposed to replace the older K1 tank.
K1 and K1A1 battle tanks
Tank K1 is a prototype of the modified Black Panther machine. It was created back in 1981, with a classic layout, where the control was located in front of the armored corps. A characteristic feature of the model was its low height, which was ideally suited for short stature South Koreans. The frontal protection of the model was created on the basis of the Chobham armor, which was installed at large angles. The engine and transmission were located in the stern of the armored hull.
The mass of the tank was 51.1 tons, while the specific power of the engine was enough to move the model in any road conditions. Excellent acceleration and good driving performance combined with fuel economy are the main features of the machine. The Koreans again created the tank, taking into account their own developments, which resulted in the presence of 6 road wheels and six support rollers on board. It is noteworthy that the driver had the opportunity to control the pressure in the suspension, thereby adjusting the inclination of the body during movement.
Features of technical equipment
The South Korean K1 tank was created on the basis of past experience, but in the end the model had a form that was completely different from its analogues. Designed for three people, these tanks. The technical characteristics of the armored vehicle are as follows:
- It was equipped with the main weapon in the form of a rifled gun KM68A1, which was closed with a protective casing.
- The ammunition of the machine is supplemented by armor-piercing shells - subcaliber, cumulative, high-explosive armor-piercing and smoke unitary, which were made directly in Korea.
- Aggregates of the K1 series were equipped with two types of machine guns: the first - coaxial M60 7.62 mm caliber with 7200 rounds. The second machine gun is the M60 with 1400 rounds of ammunition, which assumes the presence of a loader in the carriage. It is also possible to mount a K6 machine gun of 12.7 m caliber with 2000 rounds.
The sighting system was developed by Hughes Aircraft and was based on a ballistic computer. The gunner’s workplace was equipped with combined two-channel periscope sights, in which laser rangefinders were built. Accurate shooting is carried out due to a complex of sensors that collect information about all external conditions, starting from wind speed and ending with bending of the trunk. The main tank K1 was produced until 1998, while the data on the number of cars created were always in strict secrecy.
K1A1
A review of the K1A1 tanks shows that its production was started due to the need for a completely new armored vehicle, which would be distinguished by heavy weapons. In this machine, it was supposed to primarily upgrade the tower and its modules, which would affect the change in the appearance of the machine and its combat qualities. What has changed:
- The tower was modernized, which is equipped with a 120 mm gun.
- The new gun is similar to the American and European counterparts.
- Due to the large caliber and size of unitary shots, the ammunition load has become smaller in weight and volume.
- The sighting system has also changed a lot: it has been equipped with a modern ballistic computer, which is able to work with a larger caliber gun, as well as a range of sensors.
- The presence of a laser rangefinder opens up great opportunities for achieving the goal at a distance of up to 8 km.
The armor of the tank was also modified: specifically for the K1A1 model, the KSAP armor was invented, which is used to trim the frontal parts of the armor body and turret. As a result, after all the modifications and changes, the machine began to weigh about 53 tons. The production of this model took about 10 years, over the years more than 480 cars were produced. For a long time, these South Korean vehicles were recognized as the best tanks in the world.
K1 and K1A1 are the first Black Panther prototypes
Note that the first K2 prototype was created only in 2007, that is, some time after the work on K1A1 was completed. Moreover, the developers presented at once two updated models of the Panther, which differed in the frontal parts of the hull, as well as the tower. So, the first tank had a box shape, which attracted a large angle of inclination of the frontal parts and smoke grenade launchers arranged in a row. The second tank (three models were produced in this series) was distinguished by a wedge-shaped mask and a forehead of the hull, which looked like K1A1 cars.
Initially, the plans of South Korean developers were to release the Black Panther by 2012, but problems with engines and transmission led to the fact that serial tanks began to be produced about two years later. It was planned that the project will be equipped with perfect electronics, modern protection and data transfer systems. In addition, for the production of Black Panther, the developers planned to use only parts of their own production in order to deliver perfect machines to the market.
Black Panther: how it all began
In South Korea, they pay great attention to the development and development of their OBN. And therefore, there are enough armored vehicles in the country, which in their characteristics are not inferior to modern counterparts from other countries. The modernization of tanks in South Korea began in the mid-90s, when the development of a new combat vehicle, codenamed K2 Black Panther, began. It is noteworthy, but if earlier developers were armed with the experience of other countries, then this type of equipment was created solely on its own endeavors and technologies.
The project was designed so that the production of the tank was carried out exclusively by its own efforts. At the same time, at the beginning of the development, two versions of tanks were thought out: in the first case, it had to be arranged traditionally with a tower and be similar to K1, only solidly redesigned. The second version of the tank was bolder: it was assumed that the model would be equipped with an uninhabited turret and a 140 mm gun. The Korean tank was to be equipped with a German-made NPzK-140 smoothbore gun. However, it was decided that the project was too complicated, and it was closed.
How to create a new tank
The decision to create a tank by our own efforts led to the fact that the project was developed for too long - about 10 years. But the "Black Panther" was not a deeply modernized version of the K1, but a full-fledged new tank, in which a lot has changed. The most significant changes were an increase in the length of the armored corps and an increase in the combat weight to 55 tons. The Black Panther tank has a combined reservation based on the KSAP system. At the same time, it is possible to use additional protection modules, primarily dynamic. According to the developers themselves, the tank has frontal armor, which will remain strong even if a sub-caliber projectile hits it .
Equipment Features: engine and suspension
K2 tanks are equipped with a MTU MB-883 Ka-500 diesel engine, which is produced in Germany. With a power of 1,500 hp and a 5-speed automatic transmission battle tank has a unique capacity per ton of weight. For modern defense technology this is a very cool indicator! In addition to the main motor, the machine is equipped with an additional 400 hp gas turbine engine , coupled with a generator and providing the tank with electricity, even if the main motor is turned off. The features of the machine include:
- three of the six road wheels are equipped with hydropneumatic suspension, and the rest have torsion suspension;
- the tank is equipped with the original ISU semi-automatic hydropneumatic suspension system, which is able to adapt to the conditions of any terrain and minimizes vibration that occurs during movement;
- the suspension of the tank is able to make clearance more or less by changing the longitudinal and transverse inclination of the hull, increasing the cross-country ability and the gun’s pointing angles.
The Black Panther tank accelerates on the highway to 70 km / h: once refueled, you can drive about 450 km. Thanks to its high power density, the car can accelerate in just 7 seconds, easily coping with rough terrain. And these indicators, according to South Korean designers, are some of the best in the world: in terms of driving performance there is little car that can compare with a South Korean tank!
Equipment with guns and shells
The Black Panther battle tank is equipped with a German 120 mm Rheinmetall L55 cannon, which belongs to the family of smoothbore guns. The main difference from the predecessor models is the length of 55 calibres. Production of guns is licensed in South Korea itself. The machine is also equipped with a two-plane electro-hydraulic gun stabilizer. The tower is equipped with ammunition for 40 rounds, 16 of which are located in the cells of the automatic loader. Homing shots hit enemy tanks from above, as they fly along a hinged path. The ammunition of the tank is designed for a range of not less than 8 km, while they have their own guidance system and stabilizers of 4 plumage.
As the developers say, weapons, tanks made in South Korea are created with the latest technology. So, the machine, if necessary, can provide a rate of fire up to 15 rounds per minute, while neither the elevation angle nor the position of the gun matters. Since the tank has an automatic loader, the direct participation of the loader in the crew is not necessary. The crew of the tank is a commander, gunner and driver.
Ammunition
The Black Panther tank is equipped with an L55 cannon, which, in addition to standard NATO shots, can also work on the basis of Korean developments. So, specially for this machine in the country, new sub-caliber and cumulative shells were created. These ammunition attract the presence of radar and infrared homing heads, can be used for firing from large elevation angles.
The shells for the tank have brake parachutes, which increase the accuracy of the hit. The task of the parachute is to reduce speed in the final area of the lesion. Two machine guns were used as additional armament for the tank: 7.62 mm M60, coaxial 12,000 rounds of ammunition and a K6 anti-aircraft machine gun of 12.7 mm caliber ammunition 3200 rounds, located on the roof of the tower. Also, the tank can create smoke screens when using grenade launchers.
The K2 tank prototypes are equipped with an aiming system - KCPS and KGPS sights in combination with a ballistic computer, a laser range finder and a set of sensors allow you to quickly detect signals. Rumor has it that the South Koreans thought out a special millimeter-wave radar station, which allows them to detect objects at ranges up to 10 km. From the point of view of radar equipment, the tank has an intercom, a satellite system receiver, as well as equipment operating on the recognition of "friend or foe".
Layout Overview
A review of the tanks of South Korean production allows us to conclude that the developers pay close attention to equipping their vehicles. Their protection is based on passive combined armor and dynamic defense units. In addition, the tank is additionally equipped with a special complex of protection "Arena-E", which was created by Russian developers. With the help of this complex, you can protect the machine from guided and unguided ammunition. The detection of shells is carried out at a distance of 50 m, while when a shell is detected it is interrupted by firing a charge. In addition, the thickness of the tank’s armor is very large, which is ensured by all-welded steel sheets to create the skin.
The main tank has an advanced fire control system. The SPG radar can detect any flying projectiles, as well as vehicles that fly low. In addition, using the system, automatic tracking of ground targets is carried out. In addition to the main devices, the tank has the ability to exchange C4I data, which meets the requirements of NATO internal standards. The Black Panther has a kit that allows the tank to swim ford. Accordingly, the machine is able to force rivers and any water obstacles up to 4.2 m deep.
Today, no one has any doubt that the best tanks are South Korean, namely the Black Panther. From the point of view of operational characteristics, only analogues from China or Japan can compare with these machines. True, these advantages have not the best side: the cost of production of tanks reaches $ 9 million per copy. In addition, the Koreans strive to equip their cars only with their own components, so the cost of the finished tank for other customers will be quite high.