According to a Tweet published by Mahmoud Gamal on December 22, 2021, Egypt's Minister of Military Production and South Korean DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration) hold talks on the possibility to co-produce in Egypt the South Korean K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tank (MBT).
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South Korean Army K2 Black Panther in live demonstration. (Picture source Army Recognition)
The K2 Black Panther is a new generation of main battle tanks designed by the South Korean Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. South Korea has already offered to other countries to produce a local version of the K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tank (MBT) including Poland and Norway.
South Korea had proposed to Poland to produce locally a Polish version of the K2 MBT to replace its aging fleet of T-72M1 and PT-91 MBTs currently in service but Poland has taken the decision to acquire 250 American M1A2 SEP V3 tanks. In November 2021, Army Recognition has reported that Norway has shortlisted two candidates to acquire a new main battle tank, including the South Korean K-2 Black Panther tank and the German Leopard 2A7.
During the ADEX 2021 defense exhibition in South Korea, Hyundai Rotem has unveiled the K2NO Black Panther Main Battle Tank fitted with a turret modified according to specific requirements of the Norwegian armed forces.
The K2 Black Panther is a new generation of Main Battle Tank (MBT) designed, developed and manufactured in South Korea by the South Korean Company Hyundai Rotem. The K2 was unveiled for the first time to the public during the Defense Exhibition ADEX at the Seoul Airport in October 2009.
The main armament of the K2 Black Panther consists of a German-made Rheinmetall 120-mm/ L55 smoothbore gun produced under license in South Korea. The gun is fitted with an automatic loader which ensures the loading of projectiles on the move even when the vehicle moves on uneven surfaces. The 120mm gun can fire about 10 rounds per minute.
The K2 Black Panther has a crew of three including a commander, a gunner, and a driver. It has a combat weight of 55 tons with a length of 10.8 m, a wide of 3.6 m, and a height of 2.4 M.
The K2 MBT armor consists of Composite Armor and ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor). The tanks can be also fitted with an APS (Active Protection System) to provide protection against incoming threats as anti-tank guided missiles and rockets. It includes soft and hard-kill systems.
The K2 tank is equipped with auto-target detection and tracking system and hunter-killer function offering to the commander to rotate and elevate its sight independently from the gunner's sight. This allows the tank commander to maintain situational awareness while the gunner is servicing a target. The tank also features an electric gun and turret driving system. The gunner primary sight and commander panoramic sight are stabilized in two axes and include a thermal imager and laser rangefinder enabling day and night observation.
