Hyundai Rotem Unveils K2 Tank in Poland

Held from the 5th to 8th... "We will showcase K-Defense technology to the world"

Hyundai Rotem announced on the 6th that it will participate in the "31st Poland International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO·Miedzynarodowy Salon Przemysłu Obronnego)" held in Kielce, Poland, from the 5th (local time) to the 8th. They exhibited an actual K2 tank.

MSPO is the largest international defense industry exhibition in Eastern Europe, held annually in Poland since 1993. Last year, 614 defense companies from 33 countries participated. This year, Korea participated as a leading country for the second time since 2017.

Hyundai Rotem exported the complete K2 tank, the military's main weapon, to Poland for the first time. Since the exhibition is held in Poland, they plan to showcase various ground weapon systems to demonstrate future technological capabilities.

First, for the first time at an overseas defense exhibition, they will display actual vehicles of the Polish K2 tank (K2GF MBT·K2 Gap Filler Main Battle Tank) and the upgraded K808 wheeled armored vehicle at their booth.

The Polish K2 tank saw its first export contract for 180 units in August last year under urgent demand, and 28 units have been delivered early to the local site by this year. The goal is to complete delivery by the end of 2025. It is characterized by minimal specification changes such as system English localization and application of local communication devices from the existing K2 tank, followed by rapid delivery to the local site.

Poland International Defense Exhibition (MSPO) Hyundai Rotem booth view.
[Photo by Hyundai Rotem]

The upgraded K808 wheeled armored vehicle is equipped with a Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS). Its protection capabilities against anti-tank mines and improvised explosive devices have been enhanced.

The Polish upgraded model lineup, K2PL (K2 Poland), will also be unveiled. It includes four types: the Polish K2 tank (K2PL MBT), and its variant vehicles such as the armored recovery vehicle (K2PL ARV·Armored Recovery Vehicle), armored engineering vehicle (K2PL AEV·Armored Engineering Vehicle), and armored vehicle launched bridge (K2PL AVLB·Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge).

The K2PL series vehicles are Polish ground weapon systems based on the K2 tank platform. They plan to conduct research and development (R&D) to optimize them for the local future battlefield environment according to Polish military requirements. In the future, the Polish K2 tank will be equipped with active protection systems and special armor capable of countering enemy attacks. The other variant vehicles will also demonstrate improved performance with updated specifications.

They will also showcase future ground weapon systems such as the new 30-ton class NV armored vehicle, defense drones first revealed at the 2021 International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX), and multipurpose unmanned vehicles first delivered to the Korean military last year.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Rotem has been continuing discussions after signing a consortium implementation agreement in March with the Polish state-owned defense group PGZ and its subsidiary defense company WZM for the production and delivery project of the Polish K2 tank.

A Hyundai Rotem official said, "We will focus our capabilities on promoting the excellent technology of K-defense at the exhibition where Korea participates as a leading country," adding, "We will do our best to strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries through this exhibition."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.