Will Poland join the Russian-Ukrainian war? Recently I came across information that supports this thesis. Because the Polish government has ordered 1000 tanks in South Korea. What do you need 1000 tanks for, if not for war?
Last year, the Polish government placed an order for 2,000 tanks in South Korea. State-of-the-art military equipment was purchased there. Why not German tanks? Well, if you can get better technology, higher firing rates, active armor and faster delivery from the other side of the world for almost the same price, why settle for something worse?
Table detailed comparison between Leopard 2 and K2 Black Panther
| Specification | Leopard 2 | K2 Black Panther |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Krauss-Maffei Wegmann | Hyundai Rotem |
| Developing country | Germany | South Korea |
| Country of operation | Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland and other countries | South Korea |
| Year of manufacture | 1979 | 2014 |
| Weight | 62 Tons | 55 tons |
| Length | 9.97 meters | 10.8 meters |
| Wide | 3.75 meters | 3.6 meters |
| Height | 3.0 meters | 2.4 meters |
| Speed | 72 km/h | 70 km/h |
| Armament | 120 mm smoothbore gun | 120 mm smoothbore gun |
| Rate of fire / firing rate | Around 10 shots per minute | 15 shots per minute |
| Secondary weapons | 7.62 mm machine gun and 2 × 7.62 mm machine guns Coax | 12.7 mm machine gun and 7.62 mm machine gun Coax |
| Range | 550 km | 450 km |
| Crew | 4 | 3 |
| Automatic loading ramp | No | Yes |
| Ballistic computer system | Yes | Yes |
| Thermal camera system | Yes | Yes |
| Additional armor | Yes | Yes |
| Active protection | No | Yes |
| Reactive protection | Yes | Yes |
| Target tracking system | Yes | Yes |
| Communication system | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic loading ramp | The Leopard 2 has no automatic loading ramp and must be reloaded manually by the crew. | The K2 Black Panther is equipped with an automatic loading ramp that allows the crew to load the gun without manual intervention. This increases the tank's rate of fire and reduces the likelihood of reloading jams. |
| Ballistic computer system | The Leopard 2 is equipped with a ballistic computer system that enables the crew to calculate the trajectory of projectiles and fire accurate shots at long-range targets. | The K2 Black Panther is also equipped with a ballistic computer system that calculates the trajectory of the projectiles and allows precise shots at targets at long range. However, the K2 Black Panther's computer is more advanced than the Leopard 2's and can track and engage multiple targets simultaneously. |
| Thermal camera system | The Leopard 2 is equipped with a thermal camera system that enables the crew to detect and track targets even in poor visibility conditions. | The K2 Black Panther is also equipped with a thermal camera system that improves the crew's vision and enables them to detect targets even in poor weather conditions or visibility. However, the K2 Black Panther's camera system is more advanced than that of the Leopard 2 and can detect and track multiple targets simultaneously. |
| Additional armor | The Leopard 2 is equipped with additional armor that provides extra protection against rockets and grenades. | The K2 Black Panther also has additional armor that protects the tank from attacks by rockets and grenades. However, the K2 Black Panther's additional armor is more advanced than that of the Leopard 2 and offers a higher level of protection. |
| Active protection | The Leopard 2 is not equipped with an active protection system. | The K2 Black Panther has an active protection system that uses sensors and defenses to protect the tank from missiles and shells. The system detects the attack early and then shoots its own projectiles at the attacking projectile to destroy it before it can reach the tank. |
| Reactive protection | The Leopard 2 has steel reactive armor. | The K2 Black Panther over advanced ceramic reactive armor that protects the tank from modern missiles and shells. |
Sadly, this is not reported on in Germany as one would expect, instead I have to read the Japan Times to learn that South Korea among the world's top 10 arms exporters and receives orders worth billions. Interestingly, South Korea does not supply tanks to Ukraine, which is a strategically smart decision, since it does not want to make an enemy of Russia, which supports North Korea, and would rather avoid an escalation on the Korean peninsula. Instead, one sells to the supporters of Ukraine, Poland.
With this order, Poland thus becomes the strongest country in Europe in military terms, after current data as of February 2023, Ukraine has lost 450-700 tanks in the war and has only 950 operational tanks leftPoland could thus attack any other country, including Germany (let's not talk about the NATO alliance), because Poland still demands reparation payments in the amount of 1.3 trillion euros and Germany attacked Poland in WW2... just saying, doesn't mean it will happen, but militarily Germany wouldn't stand a chance, According to the Federal Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, the Bundeswehr is not capable of defending itself..
Copyright: @theworldmaps
Poland intends to buy 1,000 K2s from South Korea as part of a re-armament program given significant impetus by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, another tank production line is planned in Europe. The South Korean company Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Defense have extensive Defense contracts received from Poland, including a Contract for 1,000 K2 main battle tanks and 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers. 180 tanks will be built in South Korea between 2022 and 2025, with the remaining 820 entering service in Poland by 2026. They will be built to Polish specifications under the K2PL designation, with the first 180 tanks to be upgraded to the K2PL standard at a later date.
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