South Korea's HD Hyundai Infracore signs K2 engine contract

DV27K is a 27 litre V12 twin turbocharged diesel engine. (Doosan)

South Korea's HD Hyundai Infracore has been awarded a KRW92.3 billion (USD67 million) contract by Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to build and deliver an unspecified number of its DV27K 1,500 hp engines to power future batches of the country's K2 main battle tank (MBT).

HD Hyundai Infracore said on 8 July that under the new contract it aims to deliver the engines to DAPA in batches from 2025 to 2028. According to the company, the DV27K engine enables the 56 ton Hyundai Rotem K2 MBT, which is being procured by the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA), to traverse at a maximum speed of 70 km/h.

“The design of pushing compressed air into the cylinder using exhaust gas maximises output and combustion efficiency, and the optimal structural design reduces vibration and evenly transmits power, enabling stable performance in the electric environment,” HD Hyundai Infracore said.

“HD Hyundai Infracore succeeded in localising the K2 tank engine in 2014 and has been exclusively supplying the K2 tank engine to the DAPA since 2019,” the company added.

According to HD Hyundai Infracore, the company invested KRW141.2 billion in December 2024 to set up facilities to manufacture engines and battery packs in Gunsan and Incheon, located in North Jeolla and Gyeonggi provinces respectively.

In October 2024, DAPA said the fourth batch of K2 MBTs will feature a domestically produced transmission integrated with the DV27K to indigenise the complete powerpack. Janes reported in 2024 that South Korean firm SNT Dynamics will supply its EST15K automatic transmission system for integration with future batches of the K2.