Image source: topwar.ru
K2
The South Korean company Hyundai Rotem has officially registered the design of a promising MBT with the country's Intellectual Property Bureau (KIPO).
As indicated in the Sunshine publication, the relevant application was submitted on August 26, 2024 and passed an examination, following which it was approved on March 21 of this year. The patent application posted online includes nine drawings depicting the technique from various angles. The description states that metal or synthetic resin are used as materials, and the design is based on stealth, focused on the battlefield of the future.
Image source: topwar.ru
Western observers believe that this product is related to the new generation K3 (NG-MBT) tank development program, which was officially announced in April.
The K3 is being developed as a potential successor to the K2 Black Panther, which, according to a military report, no longer meets the growing demands of modern mechanized warfare, as shown by the lessons of the Ukrainian conflict.
Image source: topwar.ru
It is assumed that the K3 will not only surpass modern MBTs such as M1 Abrams and T-14 Armata in key characteristics, but will also have stealth, survivability and mobility beyond the reach of these tanks.
Image source: topwar.ru
The NG-MBT will weigh less than 55 tons, be less than 10.8 m long, 3.6 m wide and 2.4 m high. The turret will be uninhabited, and the crew will be housed in an armored capsule located in front of the hull and can accommodate 2 or 3 people. The power plant is carried forward, as in the Israeli Merkava tank, to increase the survival rate of personnel. The crew is separated from the automatic loader and ammunition stowage, which minimizes the impact on it in the event of a turret penetration and detonation of ammunition.
The K3 will have a low-profile body optimized for stealth operation combined with a reduced radar and thermal signature.
