South Korea could sell 72 K2 main battle tanks to Oman

[Zarvan]

According to the Pulse News website, South Korean Defense Company Hyundai Rotem Co. could sell 76 K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tanks (MBT) to Oman, a deal that could reach an amount up to $884.6 million. The desert version of the K2 Black Panther was unveiled by Hyundai Rotem during the Defense Exhibition DX Korea in September 2018.

Desert variant of the K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tank was unveiled at DX Korea defense exhibition in September 2018. (Picture source Army Recognition)

According to industry sources, in July 2018, Hyundai Rotem has conducted trial tests with an upgraded desert variant of its K2 Black Panther main battle tank in Oman. The upgraded K2 is in sand color and equipped with a shade on top of a turret. The tank is also equipped with a new air conditioning system with a fan mounted on the right side of the turret. The company has developed the desert version of the K2 in several months to adapt the tank for hot and dusty desert conditions, and especially focused on developing an exhaust system to cool the engine.

The government of Oman has launched a tender to acquire 76 main battle tanks and the supplier will be selected for the second quarter of 2019. Currently Oman armed forces use British-made Challenger 2 MBTs and American M60A1 / M60A3.

K2 Black Panther main battle tank of South Korean army in live demonstration at DX Korea defense exhibition in Seoul, September 2018. (Picture source Army Recognition)

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 armor on the Black Panther consists of an unknown type of composite armor and an Active Defense System utilizing Explosive Reactive Armor blocks. It has a crew of three including driver, commander and gunner.

The K2 can run at a maximum speed 70 km/h on surface roads, while being able to maintain speeds up to 48 km/h on off-road conditions. It can accelerate from 0 to 32 km/h within 7 seconds.

The K2 Black Panther is equipped with an advanced fire-control system (FCS) linked to a millimeter band radar system deployed on the frontal arc of the turret, along with a traditional laser range-finder and crosswind sensor. The system is capable of a "lock-on" mode, which can acquire and track specific targets up to a range of 9.8 km using thermal optics.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/nov...uld_sell_72_k2_main_battle_tanks_to_oman.html

 

[Foxtrot Delta]

Who would attack oman with armor?

 

[Tshering22]

Who would attack oman with armor?

Who would attack Oman for anything at all? Their oil reserves are not much, if you ignore the per capita oil output due to their low population.

Oman could have seriously invested this amount in getting 4 times more APCs and IFVs for that amount of money, which would allow their military to get more road mobile and agile.

But then again, Oman is a country which has no enemies; It has cordial ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as now Israel.

 

[Patriot Lover]

 

[Foxtrot Delta]

Who would attack Oman for anything at all? Their oil reserves are not much, if you ignore the per capita oil output due to their low population.

Oman could have seriously invested this amount in getting 4 times more APCs and IFVs for that amount of money, which would allow their military to get more road mobile and agile.

But then again, Oman is a country which has no enemies; It has cordial ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as now Israel.

i agree but u forgot to name an important neighbour just less than 100 kilometers away Pakistan also has cordial relations with them. so the purchase of Main battle tanks of such caliber doesnt make sense. unless ofcourse they are afraid of yamen or yamen like situation happenign to them anytime soon.

 

[royalharris]

why not altay of turkey?
Both muslim countries, The climate and environment are also more similar

 

[-------]

why not altay of turkey?
Both muslim countries, The climate and environment are also more similar

Altay was also involved in trials in Oman. It's up to Oman to select which vehicle meets their requirements.

Altay in Oman

 

[beijingwalker]

For tanks ,number is everything. Germans had better tanks in ww2, but still got routed by Russians in Kursk.

 

[Tshering22]

so the purchase of Main battle tanks of such caliber doesnt make sense. unless ofcourse they are afraid of yamen or yamen like situation happenign to them anytime soon.

This seems more like replacement units just to keep the military relevant. Seriously, what will they defend with 76 tanks? Tank game is always about sheer numbers, formation and tactics. Houthis are not exactly equipped with Panzers or armoured power. They just have crude rockets, AAA, AKs and RPGs.

 

[LeGenD]

Oman is probably spooked by situation in Yemen.

 

[TheNoob]

All the weapons.... for what

 

[ApparentRaceTraitor]

The situation could probably deteriorate the closer the Sultan gets to his death bed. However I agree with a previous poster that more APCs and IFVs would have been better to ensure swift deployment if the internal situation of the country goes belly up.

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Germans had better tanks in ww2, but still got routed by Russians in Kursk.

Russian tanks were without a doubt better.

 

[ziaulislam]

i agree but u forgot to name an important neighbour just less than 100 kilometers away Pakistan also has cordial relations with them. so the purchase of Main battle tanks of such caliber doesnt make sense. unless ofcourse they are afraid of yamen or yamen like situation happenign to them anytime soon.

Usually political favours
Remember even tanks they dont need such high end tanks. Refurbished t72 all lying around everywhere

 

[jhungary]

For tanks ,number is everything. Germans had better tanks in ww2, but still got routed by Russians in Kursk.

Germany had more tank than Russia at the beginning of Kursk, that's because they delayed Battle of Kursk to fill the number of tank in order to make the Assault, but at the same time, this delay give more time to the Russian to lay out a better defensive line anticipating the German Assault.

What win the Battle of Kursk for the Russian is not because they have more tank (They do have more over the middle point of the battle) What win the war for the Russian is their air support couple with the number of anti-tank guns position (they have around 25,000 of AT Gun) and trenches that they were able to deploy using that delay.

In terms of Armoured Warfare, German won the Tank Battle, if I remember correctly, German lost around 1000 tanks (1/5 of its total strength of ~5000) while Russia lost around 5 to 6000 tanks out of the total 12,000 (Which is about 50% or 1/2 casualty)