South Korean main battle tank designed by the Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. Mass production commenced in 2013 and samyang black first K2s were deployed with the armed forces in July 2014. South Korea has been accumulating tank development and production technology to increase self-reliance in producing arms.

In 1976, South Korea managed to increase tank production during the M48 Patton upgrade. In the early 1990s, Korean engineers suggested producing a new domestically designed tank using the latest available technology, but the military refused for cost overruns. Instead, South Korea decided to upgrade the K1 and received a technical data package while limiting other involvement from GDLS to increase localization and gain experience by taking the responsibility of failure. While the K1A1 development was ongoing, South Korea planned a new domestic main battle tank as tank design and manufacturing capability matured.

There were three main reasons for the development of the new tank. There were oppositions to the development, because it seemed too early to adopt a new model and due to uncertainty about the project as it will be the first tank ever designed domestically. However, the consensus of the defense sector including politicians, the military, and developers, viewed the K1 tanks as a humiliation, because the tank would not exist if South Korea had sufficient technologies. It was a matter of national pride to have the ability to design and build a tank.

The first step was to develop a modeling and simulation system for theoretical study and analysis. In 2002, Hilmi Özkök, the commander of Turkish Land Forces, visited the research center and witnessed the simulator capabilities and an actual model of the combat control system. The main gun and its munitions were developed simultaneously. South Korea originally planned to receive technology transfer of chrome plating on tank guns from Switzerland, which only a handful of nations had such technology.

However, the plan was changed to domestic development after hearing the refusal from Swiss firm. The K2’s primary anti-tank munitions, developed by the ADD and Poongsan Corporation, are the K279 APFSDS-T, designed with self-sharpening technology for armored targets, and the K280 HEAT-MP-T, a multipurpose chemical energy round with a proximity fuse that explodes within 7 meters from the target, for all types of targets including low-flying helicopters. 7 mm K6 Heavy Machine Gun and a 7. It is launched as a kinetic energy projectile, fired from the main gun in a high trajectory profile comparable to that of a mortar. The fire-control system is also linked to an advanced gun stabilizer and trigger-delay mechanism to optimize accuracy while moving in uneven terrain.