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South Korea Hyundai Rotem
K2 Black Panther
South Korea's flagship main battle tank, designed for mountainous terrain with an autoloader, hydropneumatic suspension for kneeling and firing on slopes, and advanced fire control. It has become a major export success, with large orders from Poland and Norway's evaluation program.
In service since 2014 · 2 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
70
km/h
450
km range
27.4
hp/t
120
mm gun
55,000
kg
💲 ≈ $8,500,000 — Approximate Polish export contract unit price
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
ROK export-licensed
DAPA-administered; aggressive export posture with financing/offset packages.
Channel: Government-to-government
Fielded & proven
Limited · 2 operators
In service since 2014. Status: active · ~260 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$21M – $30M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 70 km/h Stronger than 73% of main battle tanks
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 450 km Stronger than 32% of main battle tanks
- Power-to-weight
Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.
- 27.4 hp/t Top 1% of main battle tanks
- Muzzle velocity
Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration.
- 1,750 m/s Stronger than 87% of main battle tanks
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 120 mm CN08 smoothbore (autoloaded)
- Secondary armament
Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.
- 12.7 mm + 7.62 mm machine guns
- Caliber
Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.
- 120 mm
- Ammunition
Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.
- 40 Stronger than 42% of main battle tanks
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Armor
Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.
- Composite armor with modular add-on packages
- Active protection
Hard-kill APS (Trophy, Arena, Afganit) intercepts incoming projectiles before impact.
- KAPS soft-kill system
- Reactive armor
Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.
- No
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- KAPS jammer/laser warning, smoke grenade launchers
- NBC protection
Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.
- Yes
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 10.8 m
- Width
Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.
- 3.6 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 2.4 m
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 55,000 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 3
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- Doosan DV27K diesel
- Engine power
Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.
- 1,500 hp Stronger than 85% of main battle tanks
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 1,200 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Diesel
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- panoramic commander sight, hunter-killer fire control
- Thermal imaging
Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.
- Yes
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $8,500,000 Stronger than 60% of main battle tanks
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 260 Stronger than 36% of main battle tanks
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 2 Stronger than 57% of main battle tanks
Specifications compiled from public Hyundai Rotem and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
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What is the top speed of the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther has a maximum speed of 70 km/h.
What is the range of the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther has a maximum range of 450 km.
How much does the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther weigh? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther has a combat weight of 55,000 kg.
How many crew does the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther require? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther requires a crew of 3.
What is the main armament of the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther's primary weapon is the 120 mm CN08 smoothbore (autoloaded).
What engine does the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther use? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther is powered by the Doosan DV27K diesel.
What is the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther used for? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther is operated by 2 countries.
How much does the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther cost? +
The Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther has an approximate unit cost of 8,500,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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