(Pyongyang Rodong Sinmun = News 1) = On the 14th, Rodong Sinmun, the organ of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, reported that General Secretary Kim was briefed on the plan to hold a training match between the Grand Coalition units of tank soldiers and watched the match. Available only in Korea. Redistribution prohibited. DB prohibited. For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. Redistribution Prohibited]rodongphoto@news1.kr
North Korea revealed a training exercise using a ‘new tank’ and boasted that it was “the most powerful tank in the world.”
However, experts agree that North Korea’s claim is exaggerated, and that in a one-on-one confrontation with the K2 tank, the main force of our military, within the effective range, the K2 tank will win.
However, it was diagnosed that the anti-tank missile ‘Phoenix’ mounted on a North Korean tank could be threatening if the K2 tank is outside the firing range.
Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North Korean Workers’ Party, reported on the 14th that on the 13th, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party Kim Jong-un led a training match against tank soldiers using a new tank.
Secretary General Kim said he was satisfied with the new tank’s excellent striking power and mobility and said, “It is something to be very proud of that our military will be equipped with the most powerful tank in the world.” Secretary General Kim even drove this tank himself.
The tank featured in the Rodong Sinmun photo appears to be the M-2020 tank that North Korea unveiled during the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party on October 10, 2020. This tank is believed to be equipped with a 115mm or 125mm gun and the Phoenix series of anti-tank missiles developed by North Korea, including the ‘Phoenix-3’ and ‘Phoenix-4’.
In addition, this tank is expected to be equipped with an active protection system (APS) similar to the Russian T-14 ‘Armata’ tank.
What has changed in appearance this time is the armor of this tank.
North Korea initially manufactured the turret of this tank as a welded type with an inclined structure (presumed to have inactive reactive armor installed inside the armor), but this time, active reactive armor (explosive type) was attached to the turret’s exterior.
Shin Seung-gi, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyzes (KIDA), said about this, “It appears that reactive armor was added because it was thought that it would be difficult to go one-on-one with the K2 and U.S. M1 series tanks with the existing armor alone.”
The problem is that adding active reactive armor increases the tank’s weight from a minimum of 500 kg to a maximum of 2 tons, which can reduce its mobility. In this case, the tank weight is estimated to be around 50 tons.
(Pyongyang Rodong Sinmun = News 1) = On the 14th, Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North Korean Workers’ Party, reported that Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, led a training match between joint tank units on the 13th.[국내에서만 사용가능. 재배포 금지. DB 금지. For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. Redistribution Prohibited] rodongphoto@news1.kr
Researcher Shin said, “The main mission of a tank is to penetrate the enemy lines and occupy the rear, so it is classified as a mobile force. That is why the power pack, such as the engine and transmission, is the most important for a tank.” He added, “Korea has a 1,500 horsepower engine, but “It is very difficult for North Korea, which has existing engines of 750 to 800 horsepower, to develop an engine of this level.”
Additionally, even if the North Korean tank’s main gun is 125 mm, Researcher Shin’s analysis is that its destructive power will be lower than that of the South Korean K2 tank’s main gun (120 mm).
Not only the caliber of the main gun but also the destructive power of the shells is important, and the anti-tank high explosive shells fired by the K2 tank are said to be able to pierce armor exceeding 1000 mm. Researcher Shin evaluated, “When the K2 tank was developed, shells for the K2 tank were also developed. The kinetic energy of the shells fired by the K2 tank is world-class.”
Researcher Shin said, “North Korea’s new tank may have stronger defenses by adding reactive armor, but if a shell hits between the armor, it will most likely be destroyed,” adding, “If a North Korean tank and a K2 tank meet within the effective range, the K2 tank “We win,” he added.
Yang Wook, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, also commented, “It will be difficult for the main gun of North Korea’s new tank to penetrate the armor of the K2 and K1 tanks.”
Instead, there is a possibility that North Korean tanks will be superior outside the effective range of our military’s main tanks, such as the K2 and K1. The North Korean tank is expected to be equipped with two Phoenix series guns, which are known to have a range of about 5.5 km.
If the Firebird hits the side, rear, or top of the K2 tank, which has high frontal protection, it can not only damage external observation equipment, but also cause serious damage to older tanks and armored vehicles.
Researcher Shin diagnosed that the Phoenix would have adopted the ‘Top-Attack’ method and explained, “The K2 tank also has weak armor when attacking from top to bottom.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner Yang pointed out that the fact that the North Korean tank does not fire anti-tank missiles using the main gun, but rather mounts them on the outside of the tank, proves that the tank’s main gun is 115 mm, not 125 mm.
Commissioner Yang said, “Because the main gun is weak, we are trying to compete with anti-tank missiles.”
Meanwhile, the general assessment by experts is that North Korea’s new tanks are unlikely to be at the level of actual deployment in all field units.
Commissioner Yang added, “The fact that the operation of the new tank that was unveiled in 2020 was only shown now may have been because some capability was not developed or the number of tanks was not sufficient,” adding, “It may be that it has only now been deployed.”
