ROTEM K1 (Type 88)

History

The South Korean military has been using tanks developed and produced by the United States since the Korean War. In the 1970s, the South Korean government was concerned about its aging line of American tanks, which included the M47 and M48 Patton series. A main battle tank concept was needed to counter the threat posed by the North Korean Soviet T-54/55 tanks. South Korean President Park Chung-hee and his government want to build new tanks at home so that the South Korean army and people can take away the national pride that South Koreans have in producing South Korean tanks, and Park Shin, who his men can work in.

Tanks made by their own countrymen will be Fight for supremacy. However, the Koreans did not have the design knowledge to develop, process and manufacture such tanks. The Korean development team worked on several designs. First, the team sought licensing rights for the American M60A1 Patton tank.

The original plan was to buy all available tanks in Korea and produce the new Pattons. The split eventually arose as the number of Pattons available was not enough to meet the needs of the Koreans. The contract to upgrade the existing Korean Button has been signed, and the design team considered the production rights for the German Leopard 1. After much deliberation, the South Korean team decided that with the development of the new Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks, the production of older tank versions would limit their ability to counter the new Soviet designs. Instead, the tank of choice for the Koreans will be a variant of the American M1 Abrams design - developed by General Dynamics Land Systems.

Before South Korea produced the tank, Hyundai Precision engineers were sent to General Dynamics to oversee the production of the variant, known as the XK1.

Originating from the M1 Abrams, the external similarities between the Korean Type 88 main battle tank (ROTEM K1) and the American M1 Abrams are evident. Hyundai Precision (now ROTEM) manufactures vehicles locally in Korea (although some parts production is done overseas).

Although the system was originally designed to deal with a large number of Soviet-designed North Korean T-54/T-55/T-62 main battle tanks, the Type 88 has been developed to accommodate the latest generation of tank competition from around the world.

The Type 88 carries the M68 105mm rifled main gun, but a 120mm M256 rifled variant is also available (standard on the K1A1). Complete NBC protection, day/night vision and computerized fire control complete the main features of this main battle tank.

Crew accommodation is traditional by Western standards and includes driver, ammunition loader, tank commander and gunner. The driver can control the adjustment of the suspension in flight, while the commander station has stable aiming equipment as well as a fully digital computer system.

Power comes from 1 x MTU 871 Ka-501 Diesel engine producing 1,200 hp at 2,600 rpm. The highway speed is 65 kilometers per hour and the cruising range is 457 kilometers. Nominal weight is 51,000 kg.

K1 has evolved into AVLB (Bridge) and ARV (Armored Rescue Vehicle). Malaysia is another operator in the K1 series in the form of K1M. Currently, production of all forms of systems is approximately 1,500 units. The K1 entered service in 1986.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

47 x 105mm projectile / 32 x 120mm projectile.

1,000 x 12.7mm ammo.

8,800x7.62mm ammo.

12 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes