K1 88-Tank

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K1
K1 88-Tank
TypeMain battle tank
Place of origin South Korea
Service history
In service1987–present
Production history
DesignerGeneral Dynamics
ManufacturerHyundai Rotem
Unit cost₩ 4,500,000,000.00 KRW
$ 43,035,000.00 MXN
$ 4,066,00.00 USD
€ 2,870,000.00 EUR
Produced1986–present
Specifications
MassK1 -- 51.1 tons
K1A1 -- 54.5 tons
LengthK1 -- 9.67 m
K1A1 -- 9.71m
Width3.60 m
Height2.25 m
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader and driver)
ArmorComposite
Main
armament
K1 -- KM68A1 105 mm (47 rounds)
K1A1 -- KM256 120mm (32 rounds)
Secondary
armament
12.7 mm K6 HMG on right pintle mount for commander
7.62 mm M60 on left pintle mount for loader
7.62 mm M60 on coaxial mount
Engine10-cyl. water-cooled diesel MTU 871 Ka-501
1200 hp (890 kW) at 2600 rpm
Power/weightK1 -- 23.4 hp / ton
K1A1 -- 22.0 hp / ton
TransmissionZF LSG 3000 (Four forward, two reverse)
SuspensionHydropneumatic at front, torsion bar at rear of the chassis
Operational
range
500 km
Maximum speed 65 km/h

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The K1 is a main battle tank in use with the South Korean ground forces. The vehicle was designed by General Dynamics, while the production is handled domestically by Hyundai Precision.[1]

Name

The K1 is often incorrectly dubbed as Type 88 by foreigners. The correct name for the tank is 88 Tank (Hangul: 88전차 -- In South Korea, it is commonly referred to as the Eight-Eight tank, not Eighty-Eight.). Type 88 would actually translate into 88식, which is completely different as the South Korean military applies the American method of marking their equipment, such as M#A#, and do not use the Type ## designations to refer to their equipment. It was put into service with Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) in 1987, but is tagged 88 to honor the 1988 Summer Olympics that took place in Seoul, Korea

K1 overview

K1 is a fifty-two ton tank with a 105 mm main gun, sophisticated 32-bit fire control system by Hughes and composite armour. Because of the similarity of its outer appearance to that of the U.S. Military's M1 Abrams tank, American troops stationed in South Korea dubbed the tank the "Baby Abrams". Other than the size, the K1 is different from its American counterpart in several ways: the fire control system is similar to that of the German Leopard tank; the powerplant is a German MTU diesel engine that is produced under license domestically; and is equipped with a hybrid suspension system consisting of hydropneumatic at the front and torsion bar at the rear on the chassis.

North Korean defectors have indicated that the K1 is superior to the North Korean army's tanks. This led the North Koreans to upgrade their T-62 (see Ch'onma-Ho) in hopes of creating an effective countermeasure against the K1. Despite the effort, the North Koreans apparently have not come up with an effective means of countering the K1 threat, and have given the K1 and the K1A1 battle tanks the nickname of "Monster Tank". (Hangul: 괴물 전차)

K1A1 overview

The K1A1 was accepted into Korean service on October 13, 2001 after the first one was produced on April 3, 1996[2]. It is similar to its predecessor, with the exception of a larger 120 mm main gun with vastly improved penetration power. The new version also includes an improved fire-control system featuring thermal image KGPS (Korean Gunner's Primary Sight), KCPS (Korean Commander's Panoramic Sight), along with improved survivability for the engine. The FCS gives the tank a 90% or greater chance of hitting its target while on the move, while the highest score it achieved topped off at 98%. The improved armor is roughly equivalent to that of an M1A1 without depleted uranium plating inserts. The laser rangefinder is CO2-based.

The KCPS specifications for K1A1 is as follows;

  • Zoom: 3× / 10× (day & night)
  • Vertical scan angle (the amount of angle which the optics can move up and down): +/- 35˚
  • Horizontal scan angle (the amount of angle which the optics can turn): 360˚
  • Gunner's alternate sight zoom: 8×

The carbon dioxide laser rangefinder's specification is as follows;

  • Range: 200 ~ 7,990 m
  • Daytime magnification: 1× / 10×
  • Nighttime magnification: 3× / 10×

The K1A1 can easily be distinguished from the K1 by the shape of the gun, location of the co-axial machinegun, the shape of the commander's panoramic sight, and the overall angular shape of the turret. (The K1A1 has more curved surfaces than the K1.) The 120 mm smoothbore gun of K1A1 is thicker than the K1's 105 mm rifled gun and has a thicker thermal sleeve a third of the way from the base of the gun. The co-axial machinegun on K1A1 is located at a much higher point compared to the K1. The K1A1 also features a somewhat cone-shaped day/night KGPS compared to day-only sight of the K1 that has a plain, tube-like appearance to it.

Variants

K1 ARV

The K1 Armored Recovery Vehicle is based on the K1 tank.[1] It has a crane, winch and dozer system built on the vehicle[3] . Created with assistance from Krupp Mak maschinbau Gmbh (now Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH)and was created from 1988 to 1992 with first deployment in 1993.[3]

K1 AVLB

The K1 Armoured vehicle-launched bridge Vehicle variant uses a scissor-type bridge system mounted on the chassis. Developed from 1988 to 1992 with help from Vickers Defense Systems.[4]

K1M

This is a proposed export variant for Malaysia that never took off. In 1997, Malaysia expressed high interest for obtaining the K1, and ROK responded by showing them the concept for K1M, which had several features not present in baseline K1, including LASER warning system and air conditioning unit. It was to weigh 49.7 tons, while the total ammunition capacity would have been reduced to 41 rounds. The two nations never reached an agreement as ROK offered a contract for 210 K1M's, but Malaysia responded that it was not enough, and chose to go with Poland's PT-91.

K1A1

See K1A1 overview above for details.

General overview

The tank can "sit" and "stand", as well as "kneel" by using its extensive suspension system that allows each of the road wheels, or "bogies", to be adjusted in height. "Sitting" gives the tank lower profile and offers better handling over roads. "Standing" allows the tank better maneuverability over rough terrain. "Kneeling" increases the angle that the tank's gun barrel can elevate and depress, which allows the tank to fire its main gun downhill—something that very few tanks can do—and gives it better ability to engage low-flying aircraft.

Its mobility allows it to climb slopes as steep as 60 degrees.

The suspension system is not completely without its own flaws, as it reportedly breaks down often from extremely intensive usage. The Hydropneumatic Suspension Unit is installed at the front axle, with a torsion bar at the rear.

Both the K1 and K1A1 have two M60 machine guns, one pintle-mounted M60D and one coaxial M60E2. It also uses the K6 heavy machine gun on a pintle mount.

Operators

 Republic of Korea - Over 1500 by 2010 [5]

The future of K1

The K1 series are expected to replace the older M48 Patton tanks. The ROK Army & Marine Corps plans to field approximately 1,027 K1 and 484 K1A1 MBTs in the future as reserves once the 680 K2 Black Panther MBTs project reaches its peak.

See also

K2 Black Panther

References

  1. ^ a b Hyundai. Retrieved on January 9, 2008
  2. ^ K1A1 Main Battle Tank. Retrieved on January 9, 2008.
  3. ^ a b K1 ARV. Retrieved on January 9, 2008.
  4. ^ K1 AVLB. Retrieved on January 9, 2008.
  5. ^ Republic of Korea Army Equipment.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Type 88 K1.
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