Military to deploy more K-2 main battle tanks by 2017

K-2 Black Panther

The military plans to complete the deployment of some 100 next-generation tanks equipped with an indigenous engine and transmission by the year 2017, according to the arms procurement agency, Wednesday.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the upgraded K-2 Black Panther will be deployed by the end of the year.

The decision came during a defense project committee meeting presided over by Defense Minister Han Min-koo.

The military has been postponing the deployment of the weapons system as it had failed Army requirements because of faulty components.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to lower the standard for its acceleration performance, enabling the deployment of the advanced combat vehicle.

DAPA spokesman Kim Si-cheol explained that the deployment of the vehicle will help the military to strengthen its combat capability as they will have upgraded mobility and firepower suitable for any future warfare environment.

He expressed confidence with the equipment the military will be able to maintain upper hand over North Korea. “We also expect the new battle tanks will be exported more actively,” Kim said during a press briefing.

The government has spent more than 2 trillion won (about $1.84 billion) for the development of combat vehicles. The project began in 2006, after a decade of research and development, to replace the K1 and aging U.S.-made M48 tanks.

The K2 features an auto-loaded 120mm gun, and can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour and cross rivers as deep as 4.1 meters using a snorkel, according to DAPA. Modeled after the German-developed MTU-890, the K2 features a 1,500-horsepower diesel engine and transmission.

Some 100 K-2 tanks have already been put into service beginning in July this year.