06 April 2020
South Korea planning to upgrade RoKA's K1A2 MBTs
by Dae Young Kim
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) is planning to improve the overall performance of the Republic of Korea Army’s (RoKA’s) K1A2 main battle tanks (MBTs) as part of an upgrade programme.
The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DATQ) announced in March that it will conduct “advanced research” between June and October 2020 to determine how best to enhance the platform’s performance in a number of areas.
South Korea’s DATQ has announced that it is planning to upgrade the RoKA’s K1A2 MBTs (Dae Young Kim)
Among the upgrades the agency is looking into is the installment of a situational awareness system to allow the crew to better monitor the battlefield situation from inside the vehicle. In addition, a thermal periscope for the driver is expected to be installed.
The agency is also looking to increase the platform’s protection against anti-tank missiles by removing the existing armour and installing a new high-performance special armour. Moreover, the DATQ is considering equipping the tank with an active defence system capable of intercepting such missiles.
To improve manoeuverability, the tank’s existing hydro-pneumatic suspension will likely be replaced with an in-arm suspension unit (ISU) similar to that used by the RoKA's K2 MBT. Moreover, an auxiliary generator will be installed, and the engine’s output is expected to be increased, although it is undecided as to whether this will happen by upgrading the existing engine or installing a more powerful one.
The crew’s protection against chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) threats is set to be enhanced through a combined environmental control system that will moderate the temperature within the vehicle.
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