The Republic of Korea has approved the purchase of 150 K2 Black Panther main battle tanks - Seoul will have 410 tanks but wants to increase the fleet to 600 units

The Republic of Korea has approved the purchase of the fourth batch of K2 Black Panther main battle tanks. There are likely to be significant improvements in the combat vehicles.

Here's What We Know

Previously, the Republic of Korea's military received three batches of K2 Black Panther: 100, 106 and 54 tanks. The delivery of another 150 units will increase the total number of combat vehicles to 410. At the same time, the Ministry of Defence plans to increase the fleet of main battle tanks to 600 units in the future.

In the fourth batch, the K2 Black Panther may be equipped with the Korean active defence system and a remote combat module. It should be noted that the military has been slow to integrate a domestic active defence system due to the cost and high collateral damage that occurs when intercepting projectiles.

The K2 Black Panther is equipped with a 120/55 calibre Rheinmetall cannon. It is manufactured under licence in the Republic of Korea. The cannon has a rate of fire of up to 10 rounds per minute, and its ammunition pack includes 40 rounds.

In addition to the cannon, the tank is equipped with a twin 7.62 mm machine gun and a 12.7 mm large calibre machine gun. The powerplant is rated at 1,500 horsepower. The engine allows the K2 Black Panther to reach speeds of up to 70 km/h on motorways and up to 48 km/h off-road.

The cost of the tanks for the Republic of Korea is not specified. To understand, Poland has ordered 180 units of the K2 Black Panther at a cost of $3.4bn.

Source: @mason_8718