XK2 Black Panther is the new MBT of South Korea. The tank was developed under the XK2 program by the South Korean Defense Development Agency and Rotem (a division of Hyundai Motors). According to the developer, only South Korean design solutions and developments were used in the project, which allowed the Koreans not to buy licenses from foreign manufacturers. The $ 230 million tank development, research and testing program was carried out over seven years, from 1995 to 2002.
The XK2 Black Panther is designed for warfare not only in flat terrain, but also in the mountains, and, again, according to the developers, it has no equal in overcoming water obstacles.
The new Korean MBT has a classic layout. The crew consists of three people: commander, gunner and driver.
The armor and protection of the XK2 is similar to the armor of the American M1A2 Abrams, but the XK2 is lighter, the mass of the armored vehicle is 55 tons. Reservations are made using advanced composite armor of the Chobham class, as well as modular active armor that protects the tank from cumulative ammunition. In addition, the XK2 Black Panther is planned to be equipped with the Russian Arena-E active protection systems. The tank is equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system and anti-nuclear protection.
The tank is armed with a 120mm Rheinmetall L55 stabilized smoothbore cannon, which provides an increased muzzle velocity with automatic loading and a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute, produced in South Korea under a German license.
The tank has a standard set of shells: 16 shells in the loading mechanism and 23 more shells in the compartment in the main building. The gun ammunition includes the KSTM-120 STM-class projectiles developed in South Korea (new homing shots that are capable of hitting enemy tanks from above, flying along a hinged trajectory), similar to the American XM943 STAFF. The shells do not have their own engine, are stabilized in flight with the help of four stabilizers, and are equipped with a homing and obstacle avoidance system. The KSTM-120 active projectile guidance system includes millimeter-wave radar, infrared and radiometric sensors, which effectively distinguish the target signal from interference by its characteristic signature. The projectile flies along the "mortar" trajectory. Upon reaching the highest point of flight, the projectile is braked using a small parachute to provide the guidance system with sufficient time to scan the area and identify the target. The defeat of an armored target is made from the usually least protected upper hemisphere using an Explosive Formed Projectile (EFP) formed when detonating. The range of the projectile is from 2 to 8 km. In addition, the tank can shoot this ammunition from behind an obstacle, from a canopy. It also provides for the possibility of firing on the move and aiming the projectile at the target by the operator.
In addition, the Black Panther is armed with a 7, 62-mm machine gun (12,000 rounds) and a 12, 7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun (3,200 rounds of ammunition) paired with a cannon.
The South Korean tank has an advanced on-board control system, an element of which is the weapons control system. XK2 is equipped with a millimeter-wave radar, a traditional tank laser rangefinder, a crosswind speed meter, laser and radar radiation sensors. Target capture for automatic tracking is possible. There is a mechanism for automatic delay of the shot, which makes it possible to compensate for accidental displacements of the gun - for example, when firing on the move over rough terrain. The weapon control system allows you to hit low-flying aircraft and helicopters using a 120-mm cannon. The IVIS system allows the crew to exchange information with friendly forces, increasing the level of perception of the battlefield situation. The on-board GPS receiver allows the exchange of information about the current location within the unit. There is a sensor for the characteristics of the external environment. The tank supports the C4I data exchange format, meets the requirements of the NATO internal standard STANAG 4579.
The XK2 Black Panther tank with a snorkel is able to overcome water obstacles up to 4, 1 m deep and has high maneuverability in a submerged position. Fire can be fired immediately after leaving the water.
The tank is equipped with an active suspension system that allows it to change the ground clearance depending on the nature of the terrain. The tank can not only "sit down" on the ground, but also "tilt" forward or backward to increase the range of elevation angles. The latter function, according to the designers of the tank, is useful when conducting hostilities in rugged hilly and mountainous terrain. The tank can climb slopes with a steepness of up to 60 degrees and overcome vertical obstacles up to 1.3 m high, which also makes it optimally suited for warfare in mountainous terrain.
The XK2 Black Panther engine is a 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel engine, the engine capacity of the tank is 1,500 hp. power supply of all subsystems of the tank, even when the main engine is off. Such a constructive solution made it possible to significantly reduce fuel consumption, increase the autonomy and range of the tank, as well as reduce the infrared and acoustic signature of the tank. The speed of the XK2 "Black Panther" on the highway is 70 km / h, on rough terrain - 50 km / h, the cruising range is 450 km. The speed gain - 32 km / h "from a standstill" takes 7 seconds.
TTX:
Combat weight, t: 55 - 58
Crew, pers.: 3
Armor, mm:
body forehead 750 - 800
the forehead of the tower 900
Armament: 120 mm smoothbore gun
multifunctional grenade launcher
installation "Halix"
Ammunition: 40 shots
Engine: diesel, power 1500 HP
Speed on the highway, km / h: 70
The Korean MBT XK2 Black Panther is currently the most expensive tank in the world, the cost of one vehicle is about 8.5-8.8 million dollars. By the beginning of 2010, four experimental XK2 tanks were produced in two versions. Also, a new modification of the tank under the designation K2 PIP is already at the production stage. On it, the suspension will be even more perfect - active, scanning the ground in front of the tank for perfect adjustment to the terrain. There will also be added non-explosive reactive armor, an active defense complex and possibly a new cannon.
In conclusion, it is worth recalling that recently in foreign media, information flashed that Korean tank builders in the process of testing the tank faced problems related to the design features of their new MBT. The details were not disclosed, it is only known that if the problems cannot be solved, the program may be closed due to its enormous cost.
