Design and configuration
Six road wheels per side support a hull with controllable suspension posture. The turret has a long smoothbore gun and independent commander and gunner sights.1
FORCETALLY
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Main battle tank
The K2 is a South Korean main battle tank combining an automatic loader with adjustable suspension. The baseline manufacturer specifications describe the domestic configuration.
South KoreaK2 Black Panther
Staff Sgt. Jason Cochran · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · ModifiedMain battle tank
South Korea
2014–present
See Operators
Agency for Defense Development Hyundai Rotem Poongsan Corporation Hanwha Systems Samyang Comtech Hyundai WIA Doosan Mottrol
1995–2008
Hyundai Rotem
₩ 7.8 billion (production batch 1) US$ 8.5 million (constant 2009 USD)
2008–present
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
Curb weight : 55 metric tons (54 long tons; 61 short tons) Combat weight: 56 metric tons (55 long tons; 62 short tons)
Overall: 10.8 meters (35 ft 5 in) Chassis : 7.5 meters (24 ft 7 in)
3.6 meters (11 ft 10 in)
Highest: 2.4 meters (7 ft 10 in) Lowest: 2 meters (6 ft 7 in)
3 (commander, gunner and driver)
MIL-12560H armor steel and silicon carbide non-oxide ceramic plate along with ERA add-on armor
Hyundai WIA CN08 120 mm 55 caliber smoothbore gun (40 rounds, 16 available in the bustle autoloader )
1× 12.7×99mm NATO K6 heavy machine gun (3,200 rounds) 1× 7.62×51mm NATO coaxial machine gun (12,000 rounds)
Batch 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)
27.3 hp/t (20.35 kW/t)
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
Semi-active in-arm suspension unit (ISU) with dynamic track tension system (DTTS)
1,296 liters (342 U.S. gal)
450 km (280 mi)
Paved 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)
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
The system in detail
Six road wheels per side support a hull with controllable suspension posture. The turret has a long smoothbore gun and independent commander and gunner sights.1
Hyundai Rotem lists composite/reactive protection and optional active protection. An option in the catalogue is not proof that it is installed on a particular delivered tank.1
This page covers K2. K2GF and K2PL export developments require separate engine, protection and equipment records.1
Road speed and off-road speed are distinct advertised cases. Protection packages and ammunition choices should be named before comparing mass or firepower.1
Visual reference
Reference photograph · Configuration may differK2 Black Panther on display at Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2013 Historical equipment reference photograph. It does not establish current availability or every detail of the named variant.
Simta · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗ · ModifiedPoints represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 10.8 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 10.8 m | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
K2 Black Panther equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
Indonesia
North Korea
PolandPolish Army K2 holdings in the 2025 edition; later deliveries excluded.
South KoreaEstimated ROK Army K2 holdings in the 2025 edition; later deliveries and orders excluded.