- Yes
- No
- United Korea tree
- North Korea sub-tree in China
- I said no
- Other
Brief History
North Korea has a long history of tank and AFV production, with some of their most recent developments being very interesting. During the Korean War, and for a couple decades after, North Korea relied on Soviet hand-me-downs, namely T-34s and their derivatives, T-55s, etc. In the 70s, the DPRK started development of their first MBTs based on their copy of the T-62 (Ch’ŏnma), which have continually been upgraded to this day. Following the Ch’ŏnma series came the Sŏn’gun-915, which was a wholly new vehicle, upgrading the armour and weaponry (to a 125mm instead of the 115mm).
In 2020, an entirely new vehicle was unveiled as North Korea’s new best MBT. It was dubbed M2020 by Western analysts, but in May 2024, its name was revealed during an arms exhibition as Ch’ŏnma-2.
In the July 2023 parade, the Ch’ŏnma-2 was revealed with a new ERA kit, and in March 2024, the vehicle was shown during training exercises, with all 9 vehicles having entered service with the 105th Tank Division.
On November 22nd of November 2024, a new variant of the Ch’ŏnma-2 was unveiled at the ‘National Defense Development-2024’ expo in P’yŏngyang. This variant features a wholly new turret with a more refined design, as well as some more minor changes to the hull. It is highly likely this is the production version, although this is not confirmed. Production of the Ch’ŏnma-2 is known to be planned (or potentially have begun already), following the expansion of the Kusong Tank Plant from 2020-2023.
Note on Vehicle Name
For some reason, some news sites referred to the 2024 model as the ‘Tianma-2’, treating it separately from the Ch’ŏnma-2. Tianma (天馬) is the Chinese word for the Korean Ch’ŏnma (천마). These mean the same thing (Pegasus). North Korea, obviously, uses the Korean name. Just to avoid any confusion.
Important Note
- The Ch’ŏnma-2 is one of the most secretive North Korean vehicles currently. It is unlikely we will ever receive concrete information on its characteristics, e.g. composite armour structure.
- Due to this lack of information, I have gathered together as much solid information I can find, and made as few estimations as possible. They are, however, unfortunately necessary if this vehicle were to ever be added to the game
- If North Korea were to be added, this vehicle would be necessary as a true top-tier MBT (11.0+), as the Sŏn’gun-915 is simply not good enough for those BRs. I hope that if it were, Gaijin can accept that accurate primary sources are going to be virtually impossible to come by, and that well-educated estimations have to be enough
Characteristics:
The Ch’ŏnma-2 broadly resembles a number of MBTs currently in service or in development, from a number of different countries. Some liken it to the Russian T-14 Armata, others to the American M1 Abrams, and some even to the Iranian Zulfiqar and/or Karrar. It probably takes inspiration from all of these, as well as likely technological assistance from Russia, China and/or Iran, for various different components, building on North Korea’s somewhat-decent experience building indigenous MBTs starting in the 70s.
Primary Armament
Although the turret has been replaced on the 2024 model, the main armament is the same. The Ch’ŏnma-2 has a domestically-produced 125mm gun, although it is likely derived from the Soviet T-72. The DPRK imported one known T-72 Ural (likely from Iran, who captured it from Iraq) in the mid-to-late 1980s, from which they reverse-engineered some technology. This is very likely the same 125mm as the Sŏn’gun-915, although the Ch’ŏnma-2 adds a muzzle reference system (MRS) to the end of the barrel.
Because the 125mm was very likely reverse-engineered from the T-72 Ural, the North Korean gun probably can’t fire GL-ATGMs. This is further proven by the presence of external ATGM launchers on both the Sŏn’gun-915 and the Ch’ŏnma-2 (which I discuss in the next section).
- Ch’ŏnma-2 (2023) firing during training exercise.
The presence of an autoloader has been debated since the vehicle’s reveal – the 125mm cannon and some clear Russian influences led many to suggest it was autoloaded in a manner similar to the T-72. One image revealed during the 2022 parade suggested it had 3 crew – further adding to the autoloading claim.
However, during the training exercises in 2024, it was revealed that the vehicle had 4 crew – meaning it must have a loader, and thus is not autoloaded. The manual reload rate of a 125mm is up for debate, but I would suggest around 10-12s.
- Ch’ŏnma-2 (2023) with all 4 crew
It has been speculated that the Ch’ŏnma-2 therefore has a bustle rack for ammunition, as well as some hull storage, in a similar vein to most western designs. This idea is supported by one image of the rear of the vehicle possibly showing a pair of blowout panels on the turret roof (see 2 images above). These may also be storage boxes/bustle rack access due to a number of latches surrounding them, but could still act as blowout panels by providing a path of least resistance.
North Korea has developed a very impressive-looking one-piece 125mm APFSDs for the Ch’ŏnma-2 – with a notably high L/D ratio. This is particularly interesting, given no other countries have developed one-piece ammunition for the Soviet 125mm cannon and its derivatives (not that they’ve needed to, given they have autoloaders). This round is quite likely to have fairly impressive ballistic qualities, maybe even on par with current 125mm rounds, especially if they were aided by a country like China. We don’t know any more details however (and likely never will), such as the material or any dimensions outside of very rough estimates.
- APFSDS round (left) and APFSDS, HEAT and HE rounds (right)
They have also produced HE and HEAT-FS rounds. The development of one-piece ammo and the lack of an autoloader doesn’t preclude the use of other 125mm rounds, however. Although we also don’t know what ammunition the Sŏn’gun-915 uses, and given it also lacks an autoloader, probably also fires this one-piece ammunition, North Korea may very well also have imported rounds from the Soviet Union or China, such as 3BM42 or BTA4 (125-I). Using these rounds would however increase the reload time, and the internal ammunition storage would have to be reduced to carry both parts.
Secondary Armament
Much like its predecessors, the Ch’ŏnma-2 houses a number of secondary armaments. The most lethal of these is a dual ATGM launcher on the right side of the turret (identical to the 2023 model). This has to be extended to fire, and has a similar shape to that of the Sŏn’gun-915 (2018) (which appears always ready to fire; it may not be able to be retracted/extended). The launcher appears to have slightly changed shape from the 2020 prototype model due to the addition of the nearby ERA.
The ATGMs are the Bulsae-5 (9M133 Kornet copies). The Kornet is already in game with the feared BMP-2M – it is an incredibly powerful missile capable of penetrating 1200mm of armour with a tandem HEAT warhead. This will provide the Ch’ŏnma-2 with amazing supporting firepower. I don’t believe the vehicle will carry ATGM storage in the vehicle, so it would likely be limited to 2 only.
- Bulsae-5 on display in 2021
- Bulsae-5 (circled in red) being launched during training exercises in 2024, the missile’s identical appearance to the 9M133 Kornet is evident
Alongside the ATGMs is a Soviet AGS-30 grenade launcher in a RWS on the left side of the turret. This weapon is present on a number of North Korean MBTs, and is a nice additional source of firepower that could dispatch lightly armoured vehicles relatively quickly. The actual RWS shape has been improved, and is the same design as seen on the mock-up 8x8 fire support vehicle 2024, suggesting this is a unified design to be introduced on all new vehicles.
Electronics, Fire Control System and Sights
North Korea’s MBTs have never been particularly well-equipped with updated fire control systems or electronics, but the Ch’ŏnma-2 might be a step in the right direction. Much like the older MBTs, the Ch’ŏnma-2 has an external laser rangefinder (LRF), albeit in a slightly smaller box than usual. External laser rangefinders are somewhat antiquated but still perfectly capable.
The Ch’ŏnma-2 very likely has an advanced FCS, at least for North Korean standards. The presence of an MRS indicates improved stabilisation compared to the Sŏn’gun-915.
The vehicle has a CITV on the right of the turret roof, and the gunner’s sight in front of that. On the left, above the mantlet is what appears to be a night vision camera. The commander/gunner sights appear to be a domestic development, with no real similarities to many Soviet or Chinese designs. These both have thermal viewers, although predictably, no information about resolution or generation is available – I personally think they’re probably 2nd generation thermal imagers. The sights do not appear to be different to the 2023 or 2020 models.
- The commander and gunner’s sights. Thermals are indicated by the separated halves of each sight
- Gunner’s sight (left) and internal display screen (right)
There are 2 laser warning receivers – one next to the commander and gunner sights, and one on the opposite side of the turret.
Layout, Armour and other Protection
The Ch’ŏnma-2 adopts a very different layout to its predecessor’s. As mentioned earlier, the commander has switched sides, and the gunner is in front of them. The loader sits on the other side. The tank has an elongated chassis reminiscent of the Iranian Zulfiqar-3, with 7 roadwheels, as opposed to the 6 on the Ch’ŏnma-215 onwards and the Sŏn’gun-915 series. The Zulfiqar-3’s chassis is originally derived from the M60 and Zulfiqar-1, although it was elongated beginning with the Zulfiqar-2. North Korea may have adopted this elongated chassis and 7th roadwheel due to collaboration with Iran in the construction of the Ch’ŏnma-2.
- Side view of Zulfiqar-3
The Ch’ŏnma-2’s armour is perhaps the least known aspect about the vehicle, unfortunately. It is highly likely the vehicle has some sort of composite array, although there are no details. While North Korean vehicles have typically relied on add-on composite applique sections for improved armour (such as on the Ch’ŏnma-214-onwards), this vehicle almost certainly has some sort of turret composite.
The 2024 model features a radically new turret, very similar in shape to the South Korean K2, as well as the Turkish Altay. Unlike the original prototypes, where many suggested the vehicle had composite armour surrounding a welded T-62-based turret, the 2024 model is an entirely new shape.
Unlike the 2020 and 2023 models which have a large, probably composite ‘brick’ at the top of the turret, the 2024 model features individual ERA bricks arranged in a much better fashion. These extend across most of the turret roof.
While the 2023 model introduced ERA across the hull and turret sides, due to the redesign, no ERA is on the 2024’s turret sides. They appear to be thick layers of composite instead.
The Ch’ŏnma-2 has no frontal hull ERA like on the previous MBTs. However, there are bolts present on most of the UFP – indicative of composite armour. This is likely based on the T-72 Ural, which had an 80-105-20 composite array. However, it is not known how upgraded this will be on the Ch’ŏnma-2 – it could be the same, or it could be much better, inspired by modern Russian, Chinese or Iranian vehicles. The LFP likely also has some composite armour, given the lack of bolts on the small frontal section of the UFP (see image below), but is probably thinner.
The vehicle’s side protection is very different, featuring 26 individual ERA bricks, instead of the previous design which was a large singular block with fewer individual ERA bricks placed on top.
It’s unknown if the ERA is domestically designed, but it is likely an improvement over the ERA on the later Ch’ŏnma-216’s, and the Sŏn’gun-915. It has visual similarities to the Russian Kontakt-5 and/or the Chinese FY-4/-5, and is likely at least inspired by them. It should provide at least decent CE protection, and can likely protect against KE projectiles to some extent.
As secondary protection, the vehicle has slat armour similar to the T-14 Armata around the rear of the vehicle (hull and turret). This will probably only provide minimal chemical protection.
The original Ch’ŏnma-2 received widespread attention for its hard-kill active protection system, quite obviously derived from (or identical to) the T-14 Armata’s Afghanit system. No other North Korean vehicle has been equipped with an APS, and so this was a huge step forward for the DPRK. The 2024 model however features a totally different APS design, that appears very similar to the Israeli Iron Fist. North Korea has displayed quite a lot of technology in recent years that appears derived from Israeli designs, such as their NLOS ATGMs and recent drones. The designs for these quite possibly came from captured examples (Hamas, Hezbollah), delivered to North Korea via Iran.
Unlike Iron Fist though, the North Korean version features 4 rounds per launcher, for a total of 8, double that of Iron Fist. The vehicle has 4 radars: two on the frontal turret cheeks, and 2 at the rear, just in front of the turret basket.
- The original Afghanit-style APS being tested, successfully intercepting an RPG-7
- The 2 launchers
The Ch’ŏnma-2 also has smoke grenades located inside the turret basket. There are 2 launchers of 6 grenades each (2 more each than the 2020/2023 design).
Mobility
The Ch’ŏnma-2’s speed and weight are unknown, but can be reasonably estimated. As a starting point, the Sŏn’gun-915 weighs roughly 44t. With the addition of a new road-wheel, a lengthened hull, similar or improved composite armour, more internal electronics and sub-systems, etc. and a weight of ~48-55t is likely. The Zulfiqar-3, from which this vehicle seems to inherit a number of characteristics, weighs ~52t, so it might be more reasonable to assume a weight of 52-55t. The 2024 model would reasonably weigh more than the 2020/2023 model.
It is believed the Ch’ŏnma-2 uses a new engine. In May 2024, an engine was shown displayed next to a Ch’ŏnma-2 (2023) mockup. The engine appears almost identical (albeit still with some differences) to the German MT833 engine, mounted in, among others, the Merkava Mk. 4, Arjun, and K2 Black Panther (Batch 1 only). It therefore also appears similar to the South Korean DV27K, which is mounted in the rest of the K2 batches, and is a development of the MT833. The engine deck of the 2024 Ch’ŏnma-2 appears to be slightly modified, and it is probably quite likely it fits this reverse-engineered 1500hp engine, with the original 2020/2023 models using a Sŏn’gun-915-derived ~1200hp engine.
- Ch’ŏnma-2’s engine (left), DV27K (right)
If this engine is fitted, it gives the Ch’ŏnma-2 quite unparalleled mobility compared to other ‘eastern’ MBT designs (with the exception of the ZTZ-99A which also has 1500hp).
This would, in turn, make a top-speed of ~70km/h quite likely.
Conclusion
The Ch’ŏnma-2 would be the best top-tier vehicle in a United Korean tech tree. It would likely have a BR of 11.7-12.0, as it shares a lot in common with other vehicles of these BRs (e.g. T-72B3, ZTZ-99A, etc.). It has a 125mm gun with very good APFSDS, a very capable hard-kill APS, LRF, thermals, good mobility and probably decent armour.
Specifications
Primary Armament
- Domestic 125mm
- Stabilised
- Domestic 125mm APFSDS
- Domestic 125mm HEAT-FS
- Domestic 125mm HE
- Manual reload
- Laser rangefinder
- Gunner and commander thermals, CITV
Secondary Armament
- 2x Bulsae-5 ATGM launchers
- 1,200mm penetration
- SACLOS, tandem HEAT
- 300m/s
- AGS-30 grenade launcher
Survivability
- Crew
- 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
- Smoke grenades
- 2x launchers of 6x grenades
- Hard-kill active protection system (APS)
- 2x launchers on either side, 8x in total
- 2x Laser warning receivers
Armour
- Hull
- Front
- Unknown composite array, possible developed from T-72 Ural
- Sides
- Unknown ERA + slat armour
- Rear
- Unknown + slat armour
- Front
- Turret
- Front
- Unknown composite array
- Sides
- Unknown composite array
- Rear
- Unknown + slat armour
- Front
Mobility
- Speed
- ~70km/h
- Weight
- ~52-55t
- Engine power
- 1500hp
Images
Sources
Spoiler
Kim Jong Un shows off new drones and ICBMs at arms expo, rejects talks with US | NK News
Discover North Korea's New Main Battle Tank the Cheonma-2
Ch’ŏnma-2 (M-2020) - Tank Encyclopedia
https://www.sciencetimes.co.kr/news/북한의-신형-전차-m2020-그-실체는/
x.com
M-2020 - 나무위키
불새 미사일 - 나무위키
Below The Turret Ring: Hardkill APS overview
North Korea modernizes major tank plant, paving way for mass production | NK PRO