Reference photo · Configuration may differ
Credit
Staff Sgt. Jason Cochran · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified
FORCETALLY
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At a glance
K2 Black Pantherlarger figure on 2 of 2
Measured figures
Chassis
Single sourceOverall
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | K2 Black Panther | T-54/T-55 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank[source] | Medium tank (Warsaw Pact designation) Main battle tank (NATO designation)[source] |
| Place of origin | South Korea[source] | Soviet Union[source] |
| In service | 2014–present[source] | 1948–present[source] |
| Used by | See Operators[source] | See Operators |
T-54/T-55larger figure on 0 of 2
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
Overall: 10.8 meters (35 ft 5 in) Chassis : 7.5 meters (24 ft 7 in)[source]
Gun forward
Single source9.00 m (29 ft 6 in) with gun forward[source]
Maximum; Cross country Acceleration from
Single sourceMaximum; Paved road
Single sourcePaved road: 70 km/h (43 mph) Cross country: 50 km/h (31 mph) Acceleration from 0–32 km/h (0–20 mph) in 7.47 seconds (MT883 Ka-501) or 8.77 seconds (DV27K)[source]
Maximum; Maximum speed
Single source51 kilometres per hour (32 mph)[source]
Batch I: STX Engine/ MTU Friedrichshafen MT883 Ka-501 4- short stroke , 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel, dry weight: 2,064 kg Batch II-IV: HD Hyundai Infracore DV27K 4- long stroke , 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel, dry weight: 2,550 kg
Single sourceEngine
Single sourceBatch I: STX Engine/ MTU Friedrichshafen MT883 Ka-501 4- short stroke , 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel, dry weight: 2,064 kg 1,500 hp (1,103 kW) Batch II-IV: HD Hyundai Infracore DV27K 4- long stroke , 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel, dry weight: 2,550 kg 1,500 hp (1,110 kW)[source]
late versions
Single sourceModel V-55(V-54) V-12 water-cooled. 38.88-litre diesel up to
Single sourceBars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
| Designer | Agency for Defense Development Hyundai Rotem Poongsan Corporation Hanwha Systems Samyang Comtech Hyundai WIA Doosan Mottrol[source] | KMDB (T-54) OKB-520 (T-54A and later)[source] |
|---|
| Designed | 1995–2008[source] | 1945–1958[source] |
|---|
| Manufacturer | Hyundai Rotem[source] | KhPZ , UVZ (Soviet Union) Bumar-Łabędy (Poland) ZTS Martin (Czechoslovakia)[source] |
|---|
| Unit cost | ₩ 7.8 billion (production batch 1) US$ 8.5 million (constant 2009 USD)[source] | US$ 200,000 (export price to Egypt , 1956–1972)[source] |
|---|
| Produced | 2008–present[source] | 1946–1981 (Soviet Union) 1956–1979 (Poland) 1957–1983 (Czechoslovakia) 1958-1985 (China)[source] |
|---|
| No. built | Republic of Korea Army : Batch I: 100, Batch II: 106, Batch III: 54, Batch IV: 150 (ordered) Polish Land Forces : Batch I: 180, Batch II: 180 (ordered) Total: 440[source] | 96,500–100,000+ est., including: More than 35,000 T-54 and More than 27,500 T-55 (by Soviet Union) 13,000 Type-59/69/79 (by China) 11,000 T-54/55 (by Czechoslovakia) 10,000 T-54/55 (by Poland)[source] |
|---|
| Armor | MIL-12560H armor steel and silicon carbide non-oxide ceramic plate along with ERA add-on armor[source] | — |
|---|
| Main armament | Hyundai WIA CN08 120 mm 55 caliber smoothbore gun (40 rounds, 16 available in the bustle autoloader )[source] | D-10T 100 mm rifled gun (43 rounds)[source] |
|---|
| Secondary armament | 1× 12.7×99mm NATO K6 heavy machine gun (3,200 rounds) 1× 7.62×51mm NATO coaxial machine gun (12,000 rounds)[source] | 7.62 mm SGMT coaxial machine gun, (12.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun)[source] |
|---|
| Power/weight | 27.3 hp/t (20.35 kW/t)[source] | 14.6 horsepower per metric ton (10.9 kW/t)[source] |
|---|
| Transmission | Batch I-III: RENK HSWL 295 TM (5 forward, 5 reverse gears), dry weight: 2,450 kg Batch IV: SNT Dynamics EST15K (6 forward, 3 reverse gears), dry weight: 2,500 kg[source] | Mechanical ( synchromesh ), 5 forward, 1 reverse gears[source] |
|---|
| Suspension | Semi-active in-arm suspension unit (ISU) with dynamic track tension system (DTTS)[source] | Torsion bar[source] |
|---|
| Fuel capacity | 1,296 liters (342 U.S. gal)[source] | 580 L internal, 320 L external (less on early T54), 400 L jettisonable rear drums[source] |
|---|
| Wars | — | See Service History[source] |
|---|
| Variants | — | See Operators and variants section below[source] |
|---|
| Armour | — | 205 mm turret front 130 mm turret sides 60 mm turret rear 30 mm turret roof 120 mm hull front at 60° (100 mm after 1949) 79 mm hull upper sides 20 mm hull lower sides 60 mm at 0° hull rear 20 mm hull bottom 33–16 mm hull roof[source] |
|---|
| Ground clearance | — | 0.425 m (16.7 in)[source] |
|---|
Model V-55(V-54) V-12 water-cooled. 38.88-litre diesel 500 horsepower (373 kW) up to 800 horsepower (600 kW) (late versions)[source]