- Yes
- No
- North Korea sub-tree in China
- United Korea tech tree
- Other
- I said no
Unknown official name
Brief History
North Korea has a surprisingly 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.
Alongside these vehicles, North Korea has developed a number of APCs, primarily by taking Chinese or Soviet designs and ‘copying’ them. The M2010 APC is a result of the combination of features from the BTR-80, BTR-60PB, 323 APC (itself a modified Chinese Type 63 APC) and PT-76B.
Characteristics
The M2010 APC has a turret reminiscent of that of the PT-76B. It houses dual 14.5mm ZPU-4 (KPV) auto-cannons, as well as a coaxial 7.62mm machine-gun. The turret also has 2x3 grenade launchers, an IR searchlight, and a panoramic sight.
The M2010 has two variants that differ in a couple of characteristics but that are essentially irrelevant for the game. The first, the M2010-I, has the PT-76B’s 240hp engine and water-jets for amphibious travel, as well as BTR-60-style firing ports along the side. The M2010-II is a more mature design, with much more in common with the BTR-80. It has the BTR-80’s 240hp engine and water-jets (which may translate to better amphibious travel), as well as BTR-80-style firing ports.
The APC has the same crew layout as the BTR-80s, with a commander, driver and gunner. It likely also has the same armour layout as the BTR-80s, with roughly 9mm all around.
Some vehicles have been seen with Igla MANPADs but I personally don’t think these should be added in game, as that would drastically raise the BR of an otherwise 3.0-4.0 worthy vehicle.
Conclusion
This vehicle could be a fun low-tier SPAA/light tank for a North Korean sub-tree. It would be quite anachronistic, as it only has 2x 14.5mm KPVs (the same armament as the 2.7 BTR-152A). It would be faster and better protected than the BTR-152A (and BTR-152D with 4x guns), so I think a BR of ~3.7 might work best. Perhaps it could be given modern Chinese 14.5mm ammunition that’s slightly higher penetrating, to give it a more light tank role at 4.0+, although there’s no evidence North Korea use this ammunition.
Specifications
Armament
- 2x 14.5mm KPVT
- AP-I
- 39mm at 10m at 0°
- API-T
- 38mm at 10m at 0°
- IAI
- 3mm at 10m at 0°
- AP-I(c)
- 49mm at 10m at 0°
- AP-I
- 1x 7.62mm (Coaxial)
Armour
- Hull
- Front
- ~9mm
- Sides
- ~9mm
- Rear
- ~9mm
- Front
- Turret
- Front
- ~9mm
- Sides
- ~9mm
- Rear
- ~9mm
- Front
Mobility
- Speed
- ~87km/h
- 10km/h in water
- Weight
- ~14.6t
- Engine power
- 240hp
Images
Spoiler
Sources
Spoiler
The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun – Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
M2010 APC - 나무위키
North Korean M-2012 8x8 APC derived from BTR-80