- Yes
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Korean K1 series - The baby Abrams
First of all:
- Feel free to share more Information and / or correct me if something is wrong
- Discuss respectfully, any aggressive kind or verbal abuse will be reported, the Forum rules also apply here
- Please, keep distance from Political discussions, comments on that matter will be deleted
Basic Background
Until the 1970s, the Republic of Korea Army operated M48 Patton tanks, but its armored capabilities remained inferior to North Korea’s T-62 tanks. This was viewed as a serious problem, as South Korea had suffered greatly from a shortage of tanks during the Korean War. Efforts were made to import the M60A1 or produce the German Leopard 1 under license, but these plans failed due to U.S. skepticism, high costs, and Germany’s export restrictions.
Following the U.S. troop reduction in 1971, the South Korean government launched a comprehensive military modernization program. In 1976, it established the Tank Management Project Group, beginning the development of an indigenous tank. Due to limited domestic technology, South Korea initially sought foreign cooperation and, in the early 1980s, partnered with Chrysler Defense (later General Dynamics Land Systems) to initiate the ROKIT (Republic of Korea Indigenous Tank) project.
The tank developed under this program, designated XK-1 (later K-1), was based on the M1 Abrams but designed smaller and lighter to suit the Korean terrain. It featured a 105mm rifled gun, a modern fire control system, and a license-produced MTU diesel engine from Germany.
Development was completed in 1983, with Hyundai Precision (now Hyundai Rotem) responsible for production. The first prototype was finished in 1984, and the tank made its public debut at the 1987 Armed Forces Day Parade, earning the nickname “Type 88 Tank” in honor of the upcoming 1988 Seoul Olympics. It officially entered service in 1988 under the designation K1, and a total of 1,027 units were produced by 1998, becoming the backbone of South Korea’s armored forces.
To counter the introduction of North Korea’s T-72 tanks, an upgraded version the K1A1 was later developed, featuring a 120mm smoothbore gun and Korean composite armor, with 484 units produced. From 2012 onward, further modernization led to the K1A2, integrating advanced digital systems and battle management capabilities.
K1 Series Variants
* XK1/K1
* K1E1
* K1E2
* K1A1
* K1A2
K1 Series Gunner/Commander Scope
This is an image of Gunner Sights used by K1 Series.
GPSS/GPTTS is used in XK1/K1 & K1E1 which has a zoom of 3.0x - 8.0x and Gen 1 thermal
KGPS II is used in K1A1/A2 which has a zoom of 4.0x - 15.0x and Gen 2 thermal
KGPS-1 II is used in K1E2 which has a zoom of 4.0x - 15.0x and Gen 3 thermal
This is an image of Commander Sights used by K1 Series.
KCPS(Right) is used in K1A1/A2 which is Gen 2 thermal
CPSA1(Left) is used in K1E1/E2 which is Gen 3 thermal
XK1/K1 uses French SFIM VS-580(Non Thermal) which is similar to the one on OF-40
K1 Series APFSDS
- K270 (105mm)
- K274 (105mm)
- K276 (120mm)
- K279 (120mm)
- K274N (105mm)
Spoiler
Below are the estimated penetration values of the APFSDS rounds used in the K1 series
from 105mm L/52 & 120mm L/44 (K241 is for 90mm, not K1)
Sources
Spoiler
https://namu.wiki/w/K-1%20전차
https://www.poongsan.co.kr/include/images/cs/defence_support.pdf
https://arca.live/b/gaijin/39608761
https://gall.dcinside.com/mgallery/board/view/?id=war&no=628082
https://arca.live/b/gaijin/10281818
K276 실제 성능 추정(수정 완료) - 가이진 마이너 갤러리
https://arca.live/b/gaijin/10281045
https://m.cafe.daum.net/compmania/JBja/311?listURI=%2Fcompmania%2F_rec%3Fpage%3D5
P.S. This is my first Post, so there may be alot of things lacking