TSAMTO, October 18. The South Korean company Hyundai Rotem with the main battle tank K2 "Black Panther" will take part in the tender of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, which provides for the replacement of the existing fleet of the Leopard-2A4NO MBT.
As reported by Armyrecognition.com, at the ADEX 2021 Defense Exhibition in Seoul (October 19-24) The K2 MBT will be presented in Norwegian specifications and camouflage paint.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defense last year announced its intention to purchase new tanks and the selection of two potential suppliers for the implementation of this project. The "Long-term Defense Development Plan" states that new tanks will be delivered starting from 2025. The marginal cost of the project is 19.3 billion. Norwegian kroner (about $2.3 billion).
According to the information Norwaytoday.info the outgoing government did not allocate funds for this project in the state budget proposed for next year, however, the signing of the contract with the winner is scheduled for 2022.
At the moment, the concept has been developed with market analysis. The analysis showed that two types of tanks meet the requirements of the Norwegian Armed Forces, including German Leopard-2A7 and South Korean K2 Black Panther. With this in mind, the pre-project phase will continue with these two applicants.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defense is holding government-level talks with the authorities of Germany and South Korea to assess the possibilities of cooperation in the defense industry and access to the markets of these countries of Norwegian-made products.
The South Korean defense industry has offered Norway the local assembly of the K2 and the transfer of relevant technologies.
As previously reported by TSAMTO, in 2017, the Republic of Korea signed a contract worth $ 383 million for the sale of 155-mm K-9 "Thunder" self-propelled howitzers to the Norwegian Armed Forces. In 2013, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) signed a contract to supply the Norwegian Navy with a support ship worth $216 million.
The K2 Black Panther is a new generation of the main battle tank designed, developed and manufactured by the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem.
The main armament of the K2 is Rheinmetall's smoothbore 120 mm L/55 cannon, manufactured under license in South Korea. The K2 reservation consists of an unknown type of composite armor and an active protection system.
