On March 19, the State Secretary of the Polish Ministry of Defense, Paveu Beida, announced that another batch of 4 K2 main battle tanks had been delivered to Poland, which was subsequently confirmed by the Polish Armaments Agency.
On March 11, South Korea delivered the first batch of 3 K2 main battle tanks to Poland this year, and then on March 17, the second batch of 11 K2 main battle tanks was delivered, plus the 4 delivered this time, South Korea has delivered 3 batches of 18 K2 main battle tanks to Poland in just 2 weeks, plus the 28 previously delivered, Poland has received 46 K2 main battle tanks, accounting for 25% of the total order.
On August 26, 2022, the Polish Armaments Agency signed a $3.37 billion contract with South Korea's Hyundai Rotem (HRC), under which HRC will deliver 180 K2 main battle tanks to Poland between 2022 and 2025. The first batch of 10 tanks was delivered on December 9, 2022, the second batch of 5 tanks was delivered on March 22, 2023, the third batch of 7 tanks was delivered on May 19, 2023, and the fourth batch of 6 tanks was delivered on June 16, 2023. The total number of deliveries in 2022-2023 is 28 vehicles.
According to the plan, in 2024 there will be deliveries of 56 K2 main battle tanks, 18 have been delivered so far, so there are 38 left. The remaining 96 will be delivered in 2025, and HRC says the remaining 38 tanks this year will be delivered in the second half of the year.
Following HRC's early delivery of K2 tanks in the first half of 2023, the company was praised by the Polish Armaments Agency for its rapid production and delivery, and HRC ensured that the K2 tanks already in service in Poland also maintained high performance. Even before the tank is delivered to the customer, HRC conducts additional technical and quality checks on the tank on a weekly basis, which is a routine inspection after the production of the tank. In the review process, the company takes into account the information provided by the Polish Army.
In December last year, on the first anniversary of the first delivery of the K2 main battle tank to the Polish armed forces, the K2 tank showed high firepower and high accuracy during several shots at Polish training grounds. In early March 2024, the K2 main battle tank took part in the largest exercise "Dragon-24" in Poland, joining other powerful main battle tanks around the world for the first time.
The Polish Ministry of Defense plans to purchase another 820 K2PL main battle tanks, which will be manufactured and repaired by a Polish-South Korean consortium based in Poznan. It is worth noting that 320 of these will be manufactured in South Korea with a gradual increase in the proportion of locally produced components in Poland, and another 500 will be produced in Poland under license.
The K2 "Black Panther" is a main battle tank produced in South Korea, and South Korea calls itself a "3+" generation main battle tank. Its main armament is a 120 mm smoothbore gun with an automatic loader for the latest ammunition. Secondary armament is a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7 mm large-caliber machine gun. The tank's advanced fire control system ensures high efficiency of guided fire at long distances. The armor of the K2 tank has reached the standard configuration and can be further equipped with active soft kill and hard kill protection systems, which are highly bulletproof and mine-resistant. It is powered by a diesel engine with a power of 1500 horsepower, equipped with an automatic transmission, which maintains high speed and maneuverability in any terrain. The tank was distinguished by a relatively low weight (total combat weight 55 tons) and a liquid-gas suspension system.
The Polish Army currently has 172 PT-91s, 111 T-72M1/MR, 66 Leopard 2A4, 105 Leopard 2A5, 62 Leopard 2PL, 69 M1A1FEP and 46 K2 main battle tanks, for a total of 631 vehicles. With the T-72 series and PT-91 series and other former Soviet-based main battle tanks providing a large amount of aid to Ukraine, and the delivery of orders for South Korean, American and German tanks, the Polish Army will have 180 K2, 820 K2PL, 116 M1A1FEP, 250 M1A2SEPv3, 105 Leopard 2A5 and 128 Leopard 2PL main battle tanks, and the Polish Army will become the second largest armored force in Europe after the Russian Army at this scale.