MSPO 2020: South Korean company Hyundai Rotem to propose K2 Black Panther MBT to Poland

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South Korean company Hyundai Rotem joins the international defence industry exhibition in Targi Kielce and will present its products. It will focus on its proposal of joined production of its K2 Black Panther main battle tank with Poland.
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South Korean K2 Black Panther MBT (Picture source: Army Recognition)

As part of the "Wolf" new generation tank programme, the Polish Ministry of National Defense intends to purchase equipment designed to replace the T-72M1 and PT-91 Twardy tanks owned by the Polish Armed Forces. Formal, analytical and conceptual work related to the Wilk program began in 2017. This programme is also one of the Technical Modernization Plan priorities - the plan signed last autumn assumes the 2035 horizon.

One of the alternatives under consideration is the Hyundai Rotem proposal. The project is based upon an industrial and wide-scope cooperation on the K2PL tank project to be produced in Poland. A large contribution of PGZ companies is a part of the scheme. The Chief of the General Staff, General Rajmund Andrzejczak, became acquainted with the K2 tank at last year's visit to the Republic of Korea.

This South Korean proposal is not actually new: according to information published on January 17, 2020, on the “The Korea Times” website, Hyundai Rotem calready unveiled that it could sign a deal with the Polish government to develop and produce the impressive figure of 800 K2 Black Panther main battle tanks in partnership with Polish companies. The production should start in 2023. In 2016, Poland already inked a deal with South Korea for the purchase of 120 K-9 self-propelled howitzers. Poland could be the first foreign customer for the K2 Black Panther MBT.

This year, the International Defence Industry Exhibition also hosts the company which presents a 1/7 scale model of the K2PL tank, together with a model of the K2 tank. The K2 Black Panther is a new generation of main battle tank (MBT) designed, developed and manufactured in South Korea by Hyundai Rotem. The K2 was unveiled to the public during ADEX 2009 Defense Exhibition at Seoul Airport.