OSLO ($1=10.62 Norwegian Krones) — The Korean Hyundai Rotem Company [HRC] continues to increase its portfolio. The company will offer more opportunities to NATO and Europe in particular. The Norwegian-Finnish company Nammo will develop special ammunition for the K2 Black Panther tank.
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“This is a milestone for Nammo. The agreement with Hyundai Rotem Company [HRC] enables us to integrate and further develop our portfolio of advanced K2 tank ammunition. This means more powerful ammunition for NATO countries that use K2, including Norway,” says Audun Dotseth, Head of Strategy and Business Development for Large Caliber Systems in Nammo’s own press release.
BulgarianMilitary.com recalls that Norway is choosing between the German Leopard 2A7 tank and the Korean K2 Black Panther for the future tank of the Norwegian army. More recently, we reported that another Norwegian company – Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace AS has an agreement for the possible integration of remote weapon systems and digital integrated systems of Kongsberg in the K2 tanks. Poland, has also decided to acquire the Korean K2 Black Panther tank. Turkey is using the experience of Korean engineers in developing an engine for the Turkish Altai main battle tank.
Nammo ammunition for K2
Nammo will initially focus on integrating its already existing 120mm ammunition to ensure a high standard of safety and that it is best adapted to the K2. “We are delighted with the agreement with Hyundai Rotem. It is promising from both a technical and industrial point of view and provides funding for a very important development project,” says Dotseth.
In the long term, through collaboration with HRC, Nammo will develop ammunition that can be used in different scenarios and for different purposes. Among other things, warranties with a feature known as “airburst” will become an option.
Airburst is a feature where the grenade will explode before hitting the target. That is, the grenade detonates in the air intending to scatter fragments. This is particularly effective against “soft targets”, which can include unarmoured vehicles and personnel.
“As a supplier to the Norwegian Armed Forces, it is important for Nammo to have industrial cooperation with all suppliers to ensure integration of platforms used in the armed forces”, Dotseth says.
A permanent cannon in Raufos
Already last year, Nammo conducted a successful test firing with the new aerial ammunition in Rena. To effectively continue testing and development, the Raufoss test center will eventually have its own permanent HRC-mounted gun identical to that of the K2 tank.
The agreement between the two companies will prepare the K2 tank for the European market to an even greater extent, says HRC Vice President Euisong Lee in Nammo’s press release, adding: “Today, the K2 is fully configurable with the NATO ammunition standard and the cooperation with Nammo will strengthen both security and delivery for Norway and other K2 users in Europe.”
K2 MBT / Black Panther
The Black Panther or K2 MBT is a South Korean tank manufactured by Hyundai-Rotem since 2014. In our ranking, the K2 MBT is ranked second among the five next-generation tanks. K2 MBT weighs 55 tons, has GPS / INS navigation, and has a crew of three. The tank is powered by a 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel engine providing 1,500 horsepower.
The main gun is a CN08 120 mm 55-caliber smoothbore gun designed by the Agency for Defense Development and Hyundai Wia. He is additionally armed with a 12.7 × 99mm K6 heavy machine gun and a 7.62 × 51mm NATO coaxial machine gun.
K2 MBT is a success of South Korean production in heavy armored artillery equipment. This tank is based on a brand new concept to achieve maximum combat effectiveness. The whole idea and philosophy of South Korean technological development are embedded in the integrated ergonomic zipper design. The tank has an extended cannon, strong maneuverability, and completely new suspension technology. Hyundai-Rotem has developed a new material from which the armor of the tank is made. Hyundai-Rotem claims that the K2 MBT fire control system is the most modern and possibly efficient in the world that can be produced.
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