It had a peculiar origin and design process. The Pokpung-Ho was first introduced in 1992. Not to be outdone by its rival to the south, the North Korean main battle tank is a formidable piece of equipment, even if it is a bit older. These systems give the commander and gunner superb visibility, tracking, and range finding capabilities under any conditions. The most impressive achievement are the fire control systems, designed and built by Galileo Avionica. Also, it functions with a wide variety of possible ammunition loads. The 120mm L44 cannon is produced by Oto Melara and specifically designed for increased durability over extended use. The armor is classified, believed to be a steel laminate or composite of some sort. The new engine is a Fiat MTCA 12V, pushing out 1,270 horsepower and giving the C1 Ariete a top speed of 43 miles per hour. Now, C1 Ariete is a competitive military tank for any mission Italy will likely face. However, an upgrade during the first few years of service resolved that problem. Intially the engine used was underpowered for the task at hand. The C1 Ariete, Italy’s main battle tank, entered service in 1995 after a long and troubled development process. While the K2 hasn’t been battle-tested yet, we have every reason to believe it can face any foe that comes its way. One hundred have been produced with more on the way. The engine is classified-the most we know is that it incorporates a Doosan Infracore Corporation 1,500 horsepower diesel powerplant and a transmission from S&T Dynamics.

The main gun is a 120mm smooth bore produced by Rheinmetall in Germany.

Additionally, the K2 takes full advantage of its youth by incorporating advanced features and an innofative design.Ī classified armor system makes use of advanced composite materials and both “soft kill” and “hard kill” anti-missile defense systems.

It’s one of the newest machines on this list. Replacing the M48 Patton and K1 tanks – which are still in service with some units – the K2 began production in 2013. It makes sense that they developed a tank specifically to meet those concerns.

South Korea faces a unique set of challenges and threats when it comes to national defense.

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