Norway-based ammunition and rocket system specialist Nammo has entered into an agreement with South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem to develop new 120mm ammunition for the K2 main battle tank.
The agreement between the two companies has an initial value of $5 million for the research and development part, and likely more than $100 million if Nammo ends up producing and delivering 120mm ammunition to K2 users.
Nammo said it would initially start work on integrating its current 120mm ammunition to ensure safety standards as well as perfect compatibility with the K2 MBT. In the mid- to long term, Nammo together with HRC also expects to finalize the development of a programmable fuze. This will enable the K2 MBT to use rounds with different scenario dependent modes, with airburst as one such option.
“This is a major milestone for Nammo. The agreement with Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC) enables us to integrate and further develop our modern ammunition portfolio for the K2 main battle tank (MBT). This means more powerful ammunition for NATO countries using the K2, including Norway”, Audun Dotseth, vice president large caliber systems at Nammo, said.
The first successful test shots with the new airburst ammunition were fired at Rena firing range during last Winter’s test and trials in Norway. To facilitate further development and testing procedures, an identical gun with the one used by the K2 MBT, delivered by Hyundai Wia, will be permanently set up by HRC at Nammo’s Raufoss test center.
“The agreement between the two companies will further prepare the K2 MBT for the European market,” says Euiseong Lee, vice president of HRC. “The K2 today is fully interoperable with NATO ammunition standards and the cooperation with Nammo will further strengthen the security of supply both for Norway and other K2 users in Europe.”
The contract is a significant opportunity for Nammo, taking into consideration Poland recently signed a contract to procure the first tranche of 180 K2 tanks. The country is reportedly eyeing the purchase of around 1.000 K2 MBTs.
Norway is also evaluating a new MBT for its Arm, with the K2 being one of two candidates. The K2 has been in South Korean army service since 2008 and is currently also being evaluated by Egypt.
The tank has a 120mm smoothbore cannon with an autoloader. Auxiliary armament includes a 7.62 mm machine gun and a 12.7 mm large-caliber machine gun.
