On Monday, August 5, 2024, the South Korean portal MBC News reported on the loading of another batch of K2 Heuk-Pyo (Black Panther) tanks in the GF (Gap Filler) version destined for Poland. In a few weeks, they will join the 46 vehicles already delivered from the batch of 180 units ordered in 2022.
Photo: 16th Mechanized Division “King Casimir Jagiellon”
According to the declared schedule, the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC) is set to deliver a total of 56 vehicles to Poland in 2024. Subtracting the deliveries made on March 11, March 17, and March 19 of this year, which included a total of 18 tanks, 38 remain to be delivered.
The handover of the first batch of 10 tanks took place on December 9, 2022, the second batch of 5 units on March 22, 2023, the third batch of 7 units on May 19, 2023, and the fourth batch of 6 units on June 16, 2023. The final 96 units are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2025.
The deliveries of K2 Heuk-Pyo (Black Panther) tanks to the Polish Armed Forces are the result of an executive agreement dated August 26, 2022, valued at 3.37 billion USD (15.98 billion PLN net / 19.65 billion PLN gross). This agreement was signed between the Armament Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defense and Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC), under which a total of 180 tanks will be delivered to Poland between 2022 and 2025.
In early March of this year, the K2GF tanks participated in the Dragon-24 maneuvers—the largest exercises taking place in Poland—where they operated alongside other NATO tanks for the first time.
The K2 Black Panther is a South Korean 3+ generation main battle tank. Its main armament is a 120 mm smoothbore cannon with an autoloader, capable of using the latest types of ammunition. The secondary armament includes a 7.62 mm machine gun and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun (HMG). The tank’s advanced fire control system ensures high effectiveness at long ranges. The K2’s armor, even in its standard configuration, provides strong ballistic and mine resistance and can be further enhanced with active protection systems like soft kill (VIRSS) and hard kill (KAPS). The tank is powered by a 1,500 hp diesel engine with an automatic transmission, providing high speed and mobility in any terrain. It is also characterized by a relatively low weight of 55 tons and the use of hydropneumatic suspension.
Meanwhile, on July 9 of this year, Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) and Hyundai Rotem Company signed a new consortium agreement, which will serve as the basis for awarding the consortium a contract for the supply of K2PL tanks to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland. The PGZ-HRC consortium expects to receive the order by the end of 2024.
In 2022, a Framework Agreement was signed between the Armament Agency and Hyundai Rotem Company, which provides for the delivery of 820 K2 tanks in the K2PL configuration, of which 500 K2PL tanks will be produced in Poland. The agreement also includes accompanying vehicles, a logistics package, a training package, ammunition, and support.
MBC News published a video on their YouTube channel showing the loading of the vehicles, but it is partially censored: