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At a glance
K1 tanklarger figure on 2 of 3
T-80larger figure on 1 of 3
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
Measured figures
K1A1 gun forward
Single sourceK1 gun forward
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | K1 tank | T-80 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank[source] | Main battle tank[source] |
| Place of origin | South Korea[source] | Soviet Union[source] |
| In service | K1: 1987–present K1E1: 2014–present K1A1: 2001–2024 K1A2: 2013–present[source] | 1976–present[source] |
| Used by | See operators[source] | See Operators[source] |
K1: 9.67 m (gun forward) K1A1: 9.71 m (gun forward)[source]
Gun forward T-80B
Single sourceLength
Single sourceT-80U
Single sourceT-80U Hull T-80B
Single sourceGun forward: 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in) T-80B, 9.654 m (31 ft 8.1 in) T-80U Hull: 7.4 m (24 ft 3 in) T-80B, 7 m (23 ft 0 in) T-80U[source]
Maximum; Cross-country
Single sourceMaximum; roads
Single source65 km/h (40 mph) (roads) 40 km/h (25 mph) (cross-country)[source]
Maximum; Cross-country
Single sourceMaximum; T-80U
Single sourceSTX Engine / MTU Friedrichshafen MB871Ka-501 8-cylinder water-cooled turbocharged diesel engine @ 2,600 rpm
Single sourceSTX Engine / MTU Friedrichshafen MB871Ka-501 8-cylinder water-cooled turbocharged diesel engine 1,200 hp (890 kW) @ 2,600 rpm[source]
SG-1000 gas turbine T-80B, GTD-1250 turbine T-80U, or one of 3 diesel T‑80UD T-80B
Single sourceT‑80U
Single sourceSG-1000 gas turbine T-80B, GTD-1250 turbine T-80U, or one of 3 diesel T‑80UD 1,000 hp T-80B, 1,250 hp T‑80U[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
| Designer | Chrysler Defense General Dynamics Land Systems Hyundai Precision Industry Agency for Defense Development[source] | Nikolay Popov , LKZ (T-80) KMDB (T-80UD)[source] |
|---|
| Designed | K1: 1978–1985 K1A1: 1991–1996[source] | 1967–1975[source] |
|---|
| Manufacturer | Hyundai Precision Industry (1985–2000) Hyundai Mobis (2000–2001) Rotem Co., Ltd. (2001–2007) Hyundai Rotem (2007–present)[source] | LKZ and Omsk Transmash , Russia Malyshev Factory , Ukraine[source] |
|---|
| Unit cost | K1: ₩ 2.3 billion (1994) K1A1: ₩4.4 billion (2001) K1A2: ₩6.0 billion[source] | US$3 million[source] |
|---|
| Produced | K1: 1987–1997 K1E1: 2013–present K1A1: 1999–2011 K1A2: 2013–2024[source] | 1975–2001 (T-80) 1987–present (T-80UD)[source] |
|---|
| No. built | K1/E1: 1,027 K1A1/A2: 484[source] | 5,500+[source] |
|---|
| Armor | K1: Special Armor Package (SAP) K1A1: Korean Special Armor Plate (KSAP)[source] | — |
|---|
| Main armament | K1, K1E1: KM68A1 105 mm (47 rounds) K1A1, K1A2: KM256 120 mm (32 rounds), or Hyundai WIA CN03 120 mm (32 rounds)[source] | Smoothbore 125 mm 2A46-2 gun , 36 rounds and 4 9M112 Kobra ATGMs (T-80B) 2A46M-1 with 45 rounds and 6 9M119 Refleks ATGMs (T-80U)[source] |
|---|
| Secondary armament | M2 or K6 12.7x99 mm NATO HMG (commander's mount) M60D 7.62×51mm NATO GPMG (loader's mount) M60E2-1 7.62×51mm NATO GPMG (coaxial)[source] | 7.62 mm PKT coax MG , 12.7 mm NSVT or DShK or PKT antiaircraft MG[source] |
|---|
| Power/weight | K1: 23.4 hp/ton (17.44 kW/t) K1A1: 22.5 hp/ton (16.77 kW/t) K1A2: 22 hp/ton (16.40 kW/t)[source] | 23.5 hp (17.6 kW) / tonne T-80B 27.2 hp (20.3 kW) / tonne T-80U[source] |
|---|
| Transmission | Hyundai Transys/ ZF Friedrichshafen LSG 3000 Automatic, 4 forward, 2 reverse[source] | Manual, 5 forward gears, 1 reverse T-80B, 4 forward, 1 reverse T-80U[source] |
|---|
| Suspension | Hydropneumatic (wheel 1, 2, 6), torsion bar (wheel 3, 4, 5)[source] | Torsion bar[source] |
|---|
| Ground clearance | 460 mm (18 in) longitudinal slope: 60 % lateral slope: 30 % vertical: 1.1 m trench: 2.74 m fording: 1.2 m (without snorkel) or 2.2 m (with snorkel)[source] | 0.38 m (1.2 ft) T-80B, 0.446 m (1.46 ft) T-80U[source] |
|---|
| Wars | — | August Coup 1993 Russian constitutional crisis First Chechen War Yemeni Civil War Russo-Ukrainian War 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present) Wagner Group rebellion[source] |
|---|
| Variants | — | Engineering & recovery, mobile bridge, mine-plough with KMT-6 plough-type system and KMT-7 roller-type system.[source] |
|---|
| Armour | — | T-80B – Hull 440–450 mm vs APFSDS 500–575 mm vs HEAT , Turret 500 mm vs APFSDS 650 mm vs HEAT T-80U – Hull & turret with Kontakt-5 780 mm vs APFSDS 1,320 mm vs HEAT[source] |
|---|
| Fuel capacity | — | 1,100 litres (240 imp gal) (internal) 740 litres (160 imp gal) (external)[source] |
|---|
| Reported operators | — |
|
|---|
70 km/h (43 mph) (T-80U) 48 km/h (30 mph) (cross country)[source]