South Korea’s K1A2 tank makes first appearance in Australia during Talisman Sabre 2025 exercise.

According to Gregory Knowles on July 15, 2025, a South Korean Marine Corps K1A2 main battle tank was deployed for the first time in Australia during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, participating in a live firepower demonstration at Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA). Talisman Sabre 2025 is being conducted across multiple locations in Australia from July 13 to August 4. It includes over 35,000 personnel from 19 nations, with activities occurring in Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales, and, for the first time, in offshore locations in Papua New Guinea.
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The K1A2’s deployment represents the integration of the South Koreans’ land forces into a multinational exercise primarily coordinated by Australia and the United States, which is now in its eleventh iteration. (Picture source: Australian MoD)

The K1A2 is an upgraded variant of the K1A1 main battle tank, produced by Hyundai Rotem and officially inducted into service starting in 2013. The K1A2 program originated from requirements defined jointly by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Army, and Hyundai Rotem in the mid-2000s. Its primary purpose is to bring K1A1 tanks up to the digital and battlefield networking standards of the K2 Black Panther. The K1A2 features multiple electronic upgrades, including new front and rear surveillance cameras, GPS-based satellite navigation, and digital battlefield management systems capable of real-time information sharing. These systems replace the legacy analogue equipment present in the K1A1 and are designed to support interoperability with K2 tanks and K21 infantry fighting vehicles. Friend-or-foe identification systems and displays for the commander and gunner have also been added. Although some sources initially reported that the K1A2 might be equipped with a soft-kill active protection system, this feature was later removed due to cost considerations and its perceived limited usefulness against North Korean capabilities.

The fourth batch of K1A2 tanks was completed between November 2021 and September 2024, concluding the modernization process. The South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) confirmed that both the Army and Marine Corps have received these vehicles. The exact number of tanks upgraded in this batch was not disclosed, though in 2022, it was reported that around thirty-five K1A1 tanks remained to be converted. The RoK Marine Corps received at least four K1A2 tanks to replace their existing M48A5 vehicles. According to DAPA, these upgrades improve combat efficiency, safety, and operational responsiveness. The tank was designed to enhance situational awareness by using digital maps and improved visualization of the battlefield. The K1A2 also features enhanced connectivity to enable coordinated operations with other platforms used by South Korea’s armed forces.

The K1 was South Korea’s first domestically developed main battle tank, produced with significant technical support from the U.S. XM1 program, which also led to the M1 Abrams. Hyundai Rotem’s development of the K1 began in the late 1970s, and mass production started in 1985 following concept development and pre-series testing conducted jointly with American partners. The K1A1, introduced in 1999, replaced the 105mm gun with a 120mm KM256 smoothbore gun and included armor and fire control upgrades. The K1A2 program followed in 2013 with a focus on electronics and command systems. By 2022, about 480 tanks had been brought up to the K1A2 standard. The plan to upgrade the remaining vehicles by 2026 is part of a broader effort to maintain the viability of the K1 series alongside the K2 Black Panther, which will eventually replace South Korea’s M48 tanks and form the core of future armored units. The K1A2 was previously identified as a future platform for both Army and Marine Corps mechanized brigades, including the unit formerly associated with the first K1 deliveries in the 1980s.

The K1A2 weighs 54.5 tonnes in combat configuration and is protected by composite armor. It is powered by a 1,200 horsepower MTU 871 diesel engine and uses a Renk automatic transmission with four forward and two reverse gears. It has a top road speed of 65 kilometers per hour and a range of 457 kilometers. The tank can cross vertical obstacles up to one meter, trenches up to 2.74 meters wide, and water obstacles up to 1.2 meters deep without a snorkel, and up to 2.2 meters with a snorkel. The 120mm main gun is capable of firing at a rate of up to ten rounds per minute and supports munitions such as the Korean Smart Top-Attack Munition, a fire-and-forget projectile. Secondary armament includes a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun, a 7.62mm machine gun for the loader, and a .50 caliber machine gun for the commander. Ammunition storage includes 32 rounds for the main gun, 8,800 rounds of 7.62mm, and 1,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition. The vehicle also incorporates an NBC protection system and optional smoke grenade launchers.

Exercise Talisman Sabre is a large-scale, biennial multinational military exercise that began in 2005 as a joint initiative between the United States and Australia. Originally conceived as a bilateral training event to enhance combat readiness through amphibious landings, combined arms maneuvers, and joint command-and-control operations, it has evolved into a complex, multi-domain operation involving land, air, sea, cyber, and space components. The exercise is designed to improve interoperability among allies and partners, reinforce operational coordination, and enable realistic training across diverse geographic and operational environments. Over time, the number of participating nations has increased, and scenarios have grown more intricate, involving integrated logistics, long-range fires, and coordinated intelligence-sharing. Talisman Sabre is also regularly monitored by foreign military observers, particularly the Chinese Navy, which has deployed Type 815G surveillance ships to gather electronic and communications intelligence during past editions.

The 2025 edition of Talisman Sabre is the eleventh iteration and is described by participating defense authorities as the largest in the exercise’s history. It is taking place from July 13 to August 4 and involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 countries, with an additional three observer states. Participating nations include Australia, the United States, Republic of Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Norway, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, the Netherlands, and Papua New Guinea, while Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei are present as observers. The exercise is being conducted across multiple regions, including Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, and for the first time, offshore locations in Papua New Guinea. Activities in 2025 include combined arms live-fire drills, amphibious operations, maritime interdiction, integrated air defense, space and cyber operations, and multinational command post exercises. Major platforms taking part include the U.S. Navy’s USS America and associated amphibious group, the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales carrier strike group, Norwegian F-35 fighters and a C-130J transport aircraft, Australian UH-60M Black Hawks, HIMARS rocket systems, and NASAMS surface-to-air missile systems.