- BREM-72 - Kendaraan perawatan
- MTU-90 - Tankk Jembatan.
- IMR-3 - Kendaraan perawatan.
- BMR-3 - Pembersih ranjau.
Operator
- Russia – sekitar 480 unit. 1,100 total including 300 T-72s modernized to T-90 standards.
- India – 310 T-90S "Bhishma" 1,000+ T-90S "Bhishma" to be manufactured in India.
Arab Saudi juga dilaporkan sedang dalam negosiasi untuk membeli 150 unit T-90. As of 15 October 2008, UPI published an article by analyst Jack Sweeney, reporting that Venuzualan president Hugo Chavez “wants to replace his army's obsolescent AMX-30 main battle tanks with between 50 and 100 Russian-built T-90 main battle tanks.”
sumber : Wiki Pedia
K1 88-Tank
K1A1
The
K1 is a
South Korean third-generation
main battle tank in use with the
Republic of Korea Armed Forces, developed by Hyundai Precision (later
Hyundai Rotem).
[1] The vehicle's early design work was based on
General Dynamics'
M1 Abrams, with some noticeable differences including a combined system of
hydropneumatic suspension and
torsion bars, and a river-crossing fording kit, to meet the
required operational capability that was specific to combat operations in the mountainous and swampy terrain of the
Korean Peninsula.
[1] The K1A1 entered service in 1999, upgraded with a 120mm
smoothbore gun, and outfitted with more modern electronics, ballistic computers, and fire control systems developed by
Samsung Electronics.
[1] Hyundai Rotem produced 1,511 K1 and K1A1 tanks between 1985 and 2010.
HISTORY
In the 1970s, the Republic of Korea was desperately in need of additional main battle tanks.
M4A3E8 "Easy Eight" variant of Sherman tanks, dating back to World War II, had been retired from service by the
Republic of Korea Army, and the backbone of the South Korean armor was formed up of
M47 and
M48 Patton tanks. Meanwhile, North Koreans had both numerical and technological advantages over the South Korean armor with their
T-62 main battle tanks.
At first, attempts were made to obtain the United States'
M60A1 Pattons, but they ended in failure. It was deemed that, even if the M60A1s were obtainable, there would not be enough of them to give the South Korean forces a significant advantage over existing North Korean tanks. A number of other plans were also devised, such as upgrading the existing M48 Pattons to the M48A3 and A5 standard, as well as obtaining the license to domestically produce Germany's
Leopard 1 main battle tank. Only the upgrades to the Pattons were carried out, with the results being the M48A3K and M48A5K, while producing Leopard 1s was deemed counterproductive, as a newer generation of main battle tanks were already being developed and tested in both the U.S. and Germany, namely the M1 Abrams and
Leopard 2.
In light of this, the
Park Chung-hee administration announced plans to domestically produce main battle tanks that were comparable to the newer generation of main battle tanks. However, having absolutely no experience in the design, development and manufacture of main battle tanks to speak of, the task assigned to the South Korean industry was all but impossible. Upon realization of this, foreign designs were considered and evaluated, on condition that the winning design be licensed and produced domestically. The winning design was based on the XM1, the prototype of M1 Abrams, by
Chrysler Defense, the company which was later sold to General Dynamics and renamed General Dynamics Land Systems. Soon afterwards, South Korean officials were dispatched to General Dynamics Land Systems for supervision of the design, which would spawn the XK1.
With its design being based on XM1, the XK1 shared various similarities with it. However, upon closer inspection, numerous differences can be found. The differences included the weight (55-ton XM1 versus 51-ton XK1), height (2.37 m versus 2.25 m), engine (1,500 hp Honeywell AGT1500C for XM1 versus 1,200 hp Teledyne Continental AVCR-1790, also used on
Merkava 3, for XK1, although the XK1's engine will later be replaced with MTU MB Ka-501, a compact version of the 1,500 hp MB-873 Ka-503 used on Leopard 2), transmission (Allison DDA X-1100-3B for XM1 versus ZF Friedrichshafen LSG 3000 for XK1), and several other components used in the vehicles.
The XK1 retained the XM1's M68E1 105 mm rifled main gun, which would also be domestically produced under license with the designation KM68, as well as a fire control system by
Hughes Aircraft Company and the
Nd:YAG laser rangefinder. One of the major differences was the addition of tank commander's independent panoramic sights on the XK1, which was missing on XM1, giving the XK1 the capability to utilize the FCS more effectively, notably by engaging in
hunter-killer tactics, which the M1 series could not do until the introduction of the M1A2. The tank commander's panoramic sights were not, however, equipped with light amplification or thermal optics, which led to the tank commander having to rely on personal night vision goggles to operate his sights, while the gunner's sights were equipped with a thermal observation device, which meant that the XK1 had superior sensors until the introduction of the M1A2.
XK1 tanks are also equipped with a hybrid suspension system consisting of hydropneumatic system on road wheels 1, 2 and 6, while 3, 4 and 5 are equipped with torsion bars, a feature not present on the XM1, granting the XK1 greater stability and ability to elevate and depress the main gun nearly twice as much as tanks equipped with torsion bars alone (+20 to -9.7 degrees for the XK1 versus +10 to -5 for the XM1).
The development of the vehicle was completed in 1983, with a prototype being delivered to the South Korean government in the same year. As mentioned above, however, the AVCR-1790 used for the design was replaced by MTU MB Ka-501 just prior to mass production, which resulted in the K1's engine deck and exhaust grilles becoming cosmetically similar to the Leopard 2's.
Hyundai Precision, now known as
Hyundai Rotem, took responsibility for manufacturing the tanks, and the mass production began in 1985, with deployment lasting from the same year to 1987. The vehicle was not, however, unveiled until 1987 for security purposes. Foreign journalists were invited to the unveiling ceremony, and a massive training exercise using the new tanks took place during the event for publicity.
After the production of approximately 450 K1s, the Gunner's Primary Sights (GPS) designed by Hughes was replaced by the Gunner's Primary Tank Thermal Sights (GPTTS) by
Texas Instruments. The new system also replaced the Nd:YAG laser rangefinder used in the Hughes unit with a
CO2-based one, which has proven to be safer to the users' eyes, although having less effective range than the former in foul weather.
While the exact composition of the armor has still not been released, it has been confirmed that K1 is equipped with
composite Chobham armour. The vehicle is also equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system. The engine compartment detector is thermocouple wire, and the crew compartment detector is an optical sensor. The extinguishant used is Halon1301, commonly used by western main battle tanks. While the air conditioning system is installed to aid in crew comfort, the vehicle lacks an overpressure system to effectively protect the crew against
nuclear, biological, or chemical attacks, requiring the crew to don protective gear while operating in a contaminated environment.
Production remained at approximately 100 units per year at its peak.
On August 6, 2010, during a live firing exercise at
Paju, a round exploded in the barrel of a K1's 105mm gun, destroying the gun, but leaving crew uninjured. This was reported to be the latest in a series of such accidents since the K1 entered service.
[2 K1A1
The K1A1 was accepted into Korean service on October 13, 2001, after the first one was produced on April 3, 1996
[3] and is an upgraded version of the K1 MBT. The KM68 main gun has been replaced with the KM256 120 mm main gun (a licensed production model of the U.S. M256 which, in turn, is a licensed production model of the Rheinmetall L44) which nearly doubled the penetration power of the original vehicle. In addition, its fire control system, thermal sights, LASER rangefinder, turret and gun stabilization and armor have been improved, giving the vehicle greater survivability and lethality. The improved armor is called 'Korean Special Armour Plate(KSAP)'. The weight of the vehicle has increased along with the upgrade, and has slightly lowered its power-to-weight ratio and speed, the former of which was considered already too low for the rough Korean terrain by some critics.
The
KCPS specifications for K1A1 is as follows;
- Zoom: 3× / 10× (day & night)
- Vertical scan angle (the amount of angle which the optics can move up and down): +/- 35˚
- Horizontal scan angle (the amount of angle which the optics can turn): 360˚
- Gunner's alternate sight zoom: 8×
The
carbon dioxide laser rangefinder's specification is as follows;
- Range: 200 ~ 7,990 m
- Daytime magnification: 1× / 10×
- Nighttime magnification: 3× / 10×
The K1A1 can easily be distinguished from the K1 by the shape of the gun, location of the co-axial machinegun, shape of the commander's panoramic sight, and overall angular shape of the turret. (The K1A1 has more curved surfaces than the K1.) The 120 mm smoothbore gun of K1A1 is thicker than the K1's 105 mm rifled gun and has a thicker thermal sleeve a third of the way from the base of the gun. The co-axial machinegun on K1A1 is located at a much higher point compared to the K1. The K1A1 also features a somewhat cone-shaped day/night KGPS compared to day-only sight of the K1, which has a plain, tube-like appearance to it.
K1 ARV
The K1 Armored Recovery Vehicle is based on the K1 tank.
[1] It has a crane, winch and dozer system built on the vehicle.
[4] It was developed with assistance from Krupp Mak Maschinenbau GmbH (now Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH) between 1988 to 1992, with first deployment in 1993.
[4]
K1 AVLB
The K1 Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridge Vehicle variant uses a scissor-type bridge system mounted on the chassis. It was developed from 1988 to 1992 with help from
Vickers Defense Systems.
[5]
K1M
This is a proposed export variant for
Malaysia that never took off. In 1997, Malaysia expressed great interest in obtaining the K1, and the ROK responded by showing them the concept for K1M, which had several features not present in the baseline K1, including a LASER warning system and an air conditioning unit. It was to weigh 49.7 tons, while the total ammunition capacity would have been reduced to 41 rounds. The two nations never reached an agreement. The ROK offered a contract for 210 K1M's, but Malaysia responded that it was too many, and chose to go with
Poland's
PT-91M in 2003.
SUMBER WIKI PEDIA
K2 Black Panther
a mockup of K2 Black Panther
K2 Black Panther (
Hangul: K2 '흑표',
hanja: K2 '黒豹') is a
South Korean main battle tank that will replace the
M48A5K Patton tanks and complement the
K1 series of main battle tanks currently fielded by the
Republic of Korea. Full-scale mass-production is currently under way.
The K2 Black Panther features state-of-the-art technology and is certified as the world's most expensive tank by
Guinness World Records, costing over
US$$8.5 million per unit.
[2]
DEVELOPMENT
Although the
K1 and
K1A1 were considered more than adequate to counter opposing North Korean tanks, most of which are obsolete and aging Soviet-era equipment such as the
T-34 and the
T-54/55, development was started in 1995 to create and field a new main battle tank with heavy emphasis on using domestic technologies. The intent was to further modernize the South Korean military and allow the vehicle to enter the export market without pressure from foreign nations due to licensing issues.
The Agency for Defense Development (
Hangul: 국방과학연구소), or ADD, was given the task of developing a modern
armored fighting vehicle with state-of-the-art technology. The design was finally deemed production-ready in 2006, following 11 years in development and a research budget expenditure of approximately
US$230 million.
Two major designs were under consideration during development: one fitted with a manned turret, and another fitted with an unmanned turret. The latter was scrapped in favour of the former at the early design stage. It was also originally planned for the K2 to field the experimental 140 mm smoothbore gun developed by
German arm manufacturer
Rheinmetall. This plan failed to materialize following Rheinmetall's decision to stop development due to the lack of foreseeable threats that their latest gun, the
120 mm / L55, could not defeat. The K2's gun was subsequently reconfigured to the L55, along with necessary modifications for ammunition capacity. The vehicle is, however, capable of mounting the 140 mm gun with minimum modifications should the need arise. The gun's autoloader is similar to the French
Leclerc.
The Black Panther reached its production phase on March 2, 2007, when the first of the three production models rolled out of the assembly line in
Changwon,
South Korea. At that time, several media sources speculated that the K2's main gun was a L52 (6.24 m) main gun similar to the one used on the
Leclerc. This was incorrect as the K2 uses a L55 (6.6 m) main gun.
[edit] Contractors
The following agencies and companies are known to have participated in the development and manufacturing process of the K2 Black Panther:
- Agency for Defense Development (Hangul: 국방과학연구소): Main development of the project.
- Doosan Infracore Corporation (Hangul: 두산인프라코어): Developing and manufacturing the main engine for the vehicle.
- Doosan Mottrol (Hangul: 두산모트롤): Electric Gun/Turret Drive (EG/TD), oil pressure system, etc.
- Hanwha (Hangul: 한화): Combustible cartridge cases for main gun ammunitions.
- Hyundai Rotem (Hangul: 현대로템): Main supplier of the vehicle.
- LS Mtron (Hangul: LS엠트론): T-156 tracks.
- Poongsan (Hangul: 풍산): Ammunitions such as the K276 (APFSDS-T), K277 (HEAT-MP-T) and so on.
- S&T Dynamics (Hangul: S&T대우): Developing and manufacturing the transmission for the vehicle.[3]
- Samsung Techwin (Hangul: 삼성테크윈): Providing vetronics and other components, including the gas-turbine auxiliary power unit.
- Samsung Thales (Hangul: 삼성탈레스): Responsible for the vehicle's IFF system, Driver's Thermal Periscope (DTP), Gunner's Primary Sight (KGPS), Commander's Panoramic Sight (KCPS), Fire Control System, etc.
- World Industries Ace (Hangul: 위아): Manufacturing the armaments of the vehicle, notably the 120 mm / L55 gun.
The South Korean Army operates about 2,300 tanks, many of which will be replaced by the state-of-the-art K2 Black Panther main battle tank and modified K1A1 tank.
Mobility and maneuverability
The Black Panther features a 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW) 12 cylinder diesel engine (more powerful than the 1,200 horsepower (890 kW) engines of the K1 series of tanks), developed and manufactured by
Doosan Infracore Corporation. Transmission was developed and manufactured by
S&T Dynamics. The powerpack was not ready for service during early stages of prototype testing, and the MTU-890 was used as a temporary measure until the domestic powerpack could be manufactured. The new engine will be similar to the MTU-890.
The K2 can travel at speeds of up to 70 km/h on road surfaces, and maintain speeds of up to 52 km/h in off-road conditions. It can accelerate from 0 to 32 km/h within 7 seconds. It can also climb 60 degree slopes and vertical obstacles 1.3 meters in height. Due to the relatively compact design of the engine, the designers were able to fit an additional gas-turbine engine, developed by Samsung Techwin, which also provided many of the electronic components for the vehicle, into the remaining compartment space. It is capable of producing 100 horsepower (75 kW), and intended to act as an auxiliary power unit with which the tank may power its onboard systems, even when its main engines are turned off. It will also allow the tank to conserve fuel when idling and reduce the vehicle's overall thermal and acoustic signatures.
The vehicle can cross rivers as deep as 4.1 meters using a snorkel system, which also serves as a conning tower for the tank commander. The system takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare. The turret becomes watertight while fording, but the chassis can take in 440 liters (116 gallons) of water to prevent excessive buoyancy from air inside the vehicle and keep the tracks planted firmly on the ground. This is a considerable improvement over the K1 and K1A1, as those vehicles were only able to cross rivers up to 2.2 meters deep. Furthermore, the tank can enter combat-ready status as soon as it resurfaces.
The Black Panther fields an advanced suspension system, called the In-arm Suspension Unit (ISU). The K1 series currently uses a hybrid package of torsion bars in conjunction with a Hydropneumatic Suspension Unit (HSU). The ISU, which is installed on every bogie on the tracks, allows them to be individually controlled. Thus, the K2 will be able not only to "sit", "stand" and "kneel", but to "lean" towards a side or a corner as well. "Sitting" gives the tank a lower profile and offers better handling over roads. "Standing" gives the vehicle higher ground clearance and allows it to have better maneuverability over rough terrain. "Kneeling" increases the amount of angle that the tank's gun barrel can elevate and depress, which allows the tank to fire its main gun downhill and give it greater ability to engage low-flying aircraft. The new suspension unit also gives the tank an advantage when traveling on uneven terrain as the bogies can be adjusted on-the-fly to lessen vibration, as well as being lighter and simpler to maintain than the HSU.
Offensive capability
The K2's main armament is the L55 120 mm smoothbore gun, developed under license by ADD and manufactured by World Industries Ace Corporation. It also deploys a 12.7 mm
K-6 heavy machine gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun. The ammunition for the main gun is loaded in a 16-shell magazine, with a total ammunition capacity of 40.
The autoloader enables the tank to fire up to 15 rounds per minute
[citation needed], or one round every four seconds, without being affected by the gun's angle. It has recently been confirmed by
GIAT that the K2 autoloader's design is derived from that of GIAT's
Leclerc. Despite the similarity of the two autoloaders, many of the components of the two designs are not interchangeable.
[edit] Munitions
The K2's primary anti-tank munition is an indigenously developed and improved tungsten APFSDS
kinetic energy penetrator. This new munition offers significantly greater penetration than the current generation of tungsten rounds
[citation needed] through better
heat treatment of the tungsten alloy
[citation needed] and a technique referred to as the "self-sharpening process"
[citation needed]. The latter works by making the tungsten core sharpen rather than deform during the penetration of armor. For attacking unhardened targets, the K2 can use a newly designed multi-purpose
HEAT chemical energy round, which is similar to the U.S.
M830A1 HEAT MP-T, providing good offensive capabilities against personnel, unarmored and lightly armored vehicles on the ground as well as low-flying helicopters.
The
KSTAM (
Korean
Smart
Top-
Attack
Munition) is a top-attack anti-tank munition designed specifically for use with the Black Panther. This projectile is fired in a high trajectory profile comparable to that of a
mortar or that of long-range artillery. This is not an anti-tank missile—it does not contain any rocket propellant or motors, and travels through the air solely with the kinetic energy applied to it during the initial propulsion from the main cannon. The KSTAM round does, however, house internal guidance and obstacle-avoidance systems, in the form of a small
millimeter band radar,
IR and
radiometer sensors. Should the need arise, it also has a limited ability to be manually controlled via live data link with the launch vehicle. Upon reaching its designated target area, a parachute deploys, giving the onboard radar system and sensors enough time to seek and acquire stationary or moving targets and fire its
explosively formed penetrator from a top-down position, offering excellent anti-tank capabilities due to less protection present at top armor of turrets and hulls of tanks. Due to the
fire-and-forget nature of these rounds, the launch vehicle can remain concealed behind cover while firing successive rounds towards the known location of an enemy. It can also provide effective indirect fire support against targets hidden behind obstacles and structures. The minimum range of the munition is 2 km, while the maximum range is 8 km.
[edit] Fire Control System and Optics
The K2 will be equipped with a millimeter band radar system, located at the frontal arc of the turret, along with the traditional laser range-finder and crosswind sensor. This will be complemented by an advanced
Fire Control System (FCS), that will allow it to track and engage low-flying aircraft with the main gun quickly and accurately, as well as detect incoming projectiles fired at the tank. The FCS is capable of a "lock-on" mode to maintain acquisition of a specific target, with the system calculating, adjusting and updating the target's information constantly, and allowing the tank to fire while moving without significant loss of accuracy. The lock-on mode can acquire and track its target using thermal optics integrated to the FCS up to 9.8 km away.
Another subtle, but significant, feature of the Black Panther's FCS is a built-in trigger-delay mechanism. Other main battle tanks, including the
French Leclerc (the closest counterpart to the Black Panther in terms of electronics, sensors and fire control system) can miss their target while moving
[citation needed];, if they open fire at the very moment they hit an uneven terrain feature. The designers foresaw this and compensated by installing a simple mechanism consisting of a tiny laser emitter and receiver linked to the FCS. The laser emitter is installed near the top of the gun barrel, with the receiver being placed at the base. The gun can only be fired when the receiver is precisely aligned with the emitting laser. An example of the mechanism's usage is when the gunner presses the trigger, which is linked directly to the FCS, and the tank comes upon an irregularity on the terrain at the same moment, the laser will find itself off the mark by the sudden shaking and the FCS will delay the round from being fired until the very moment when the laser beam is re-aligned to the receiver again as the barrel shakes up and down repeatedly, where the FCS will automatically fire the gun by itself. This system, combined with an advanced gun stabilizer and fire control system, will significantly improve the tank's ability to hit its target while moving on uneven terrain.
The KGPS (
Korean
Gunner's
Primary
Sight) and the
KCPS (
Korean
Commander's
Panoramic
Sight) are present in the Black Panther as in the original series of K1A1 tanks. The optics system on the Black Panther, however, will be further modified to utilize the advantages of the sensors and armaments offered on the new vehicle.
The commander of the tank has the ability to override the command to take control of the turret and gun from the gunner. Moreover, unconfirmed reports state that, in the event of an emergency, the vehicle can be operated by only two, or even a single, crew member. It is speculated that the FCS can automatically spot and track visible targets, compare them using the data link established with other friendly vehicles to prevent redundant target engagements, and fire its main gun without manual input.
Defensive capability
Details on the composite armor of the Black Panther are unknown. The frontal armor has been proven to be effective at defeating the 120 mm APFSDS round fired from the L55 gun.
Explosive Reactive Armor blocks are also present, with the addition of
Non-Explosive Reactive Armor planned for the
K2 PIP version (See below).
Defense against incoming missiles is currently provided by a soft-kill anti-missile system. The
K2 PIP will likely deploy a hard-kill anti-missile defense system when it is released within the next few years.
The vehicle's millimeter band radar system can double as a
Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS). The vehicle's computer in turn can triangulate incoming projectiles, immediately warn the vehicle crew and fire off
Visual and Infrared Screening Smoke (VIRSS) grenades, which can effectively block optical, infrared and radar signatures. Once the hard-kill AMS is installed, the radar system will also be responsible for tracking and targeting the incoming missiles for the AMS. The K2 also has a
Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and
radar jammer. Four all-bearing
Laser warning receivers (LWR) are also present to alert the crew should the vehicle become "painted", and the computer can also fire off VIRSS grenades in the direction that the beam is coming from.
An automatic fire-suppression system is programmed to detect and put out any internal fires that may occur, and atmospheric sensors alert the crew if the tank enters a hazardous environment.
Network-centric considerations
The K2 houses the following features which help to improve situational awareness for the crew:
- C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence) uplink.
- GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) uplink.
- IFF/SIF (Identification Friend or Foe/Selective Identification Feature) system compliant with STANAG 4579. Located on the main gun mantlet, just above the gun, the system fires a 38 GHz beam in the direction of the gun for a response from the targeted vehicle. If a proper response signal is shown by the target, the fire control system automatically identifies it as a friendly. If the target fails to respond to the identification signal, it is then declared as a hostile.
- Battle Management System (Similar to the Inter-Vehicular Information System used in the United States military) allows the vehicle to share its data with friendly units, including other armored vehicles and helicopters.
Work is also under way to integrate the
XAV unmanned wheeled reconnaissance vehicle into the Black Panther's systems, giving the tank's crew the ability to remotely scout an area without exposing its position.
K2 product improvement program
The K2 PIP is an improved version of the initial production model of the K2 that will be released within the next few years. Improvements will include:
- Upgrading the Semi-Active In-arm Suspension Unit to an Active In-arm Suspension Unit
- Integration of a high-resolution terrain-scanning system to the vehicle's suspension system. This is purported to allow the vehicle to "plan ahead" by scanning nearby terrain up to 50 meters away in all directions and calculate the optimal position of the bogies in order to improve vehicle handling over uneven terrain.
- Integration of a hard-kill anti-missile system.
- Addition of Non-Explosive Reactive Armor (NERA).
- Potentially replacing the 120 mm / L55 gun with an electrothermal-chemical gun, which will significantly increase the vehicle's firepower and potential payload.
Exports
After competing against the
Leclerc and
Leopard 2, the K2 finally established its first export customer in
Turkey. In June 2007, South Korea and Turkey successfully negotiated an arms deal contract worth ₩500 billion (approximately US$540 million) licensing the design of the K2, as well as exporting 40(+15)
KT-1 trainer planes, to Turkey.
[4]
On July 30, 2008, South Korea's
Rotem and Turkey's
Otokar signed a contract worth $540 million for technological and design assistance, also technology transfer of some of the parts of the K2. The technology is to be incorporated to Turkey's own indigenous future main battle tank, dubbed
MİTÜP Altay. As of May, 2009, no design details of the Altay tank have been made public. Despite sharing many subsystems with the K2, such as protective armor and main gun, it is expected to feature a different look and have different performance characteristics.
Operators
Republic of Korea - At least 3 prototypes made. The ROK Army is planning to field at least 390 Black Panthers after full-scale mass-production starts in 2010 or 2011.
SUMBER WIKIPEDIA
