Turkey Mulls Buying Korean Battle Tank

Turkey is considering purchasing South Korea’s new amphibious main battle tank unveiled last week for its next-generation tank procurement project, a military source said yesterday.

However, the Korean Main Battle Tank called XK2 is not the only option on the market. The French Army’s Leclerc is also a consideration, the source said on condition of anonymity.

``Chances are very high that South Korea could win the bid because Turkey’s Army and military officials trust our defense technologies more than those of France,’’ the source was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News Agency in Seoul.

An official at the state-run Agency for the Defense Development (ADD), the main developer of the XK2, confirmed Seoul’s full-fledged efforts to export the tank to Turkey and other countries.

``I don’t deny that Seoul and Ankara are consulting over a tank deal. But it’s just in the initial stages so please do not jump to conclusions,’’ the official told The Korea Times, asking not to be named.

Turkey reportedly plans to choose either South Korea or France as its supplier by next month after selecting one of its domestic firms to lead the tank project.

Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo is scheduled to visit Turkey from March. 6-10, marking the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Seoul and Ankara.

During his stay, Kim will meet senior Turkish defense officials to discuss bilateral defense cooperation, including the selling of XK2s, ministry officials said.

The 55-ton tank, nicknamed ``black panther,’’ features a variety of high-tech functions regarding maneuverability, survivability, firepower and network-centric systems superior to existing top-class tanks such as the Abrams of the U.S. Army and the Leopard 2A6 with the German Army.

XK2 is the only tank in the world that can wade through up to 13.5 feet of water and can move at a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour on roads and 50 kilometers on fields.

The main armament is a 120mm, 52-caliber smoothbore gun firing 15 rounds per minute with increased penetrating power. The tank has an automatic loading system that most other battle tanks do not have and is equipped with a ``fire and forget’’ guidance system that allows rounds to avoid obstacles in reaching their targets.

Its high-explosive anti-tank multipurpose rounds (HEAT-MP) are capable of hitting enemy helicopters. The three-seat tank also features an active defense system similar to laser warning equipment and an active countermeasures system against incoming artillery. The installation of the digital command system called C4I (command, control, communication, computer and intelligence) is also a main feature.

With an estimated cost of $8.5 million per unit, the XK2s will be deployed in the Army by 2011 to replace the K1 and M47/48 tanks.

The Korea Times, LINK