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Its rear-positioned power plant provides smooth operation in temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius.Ĭurrently, Russia has very few T-14s, and a planned order exceeding 2,000 units - slated for arrival by 2020 - has yet to occur.
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It even has an onboard toilet.Īs with Korea’s K2 Black Panther, the T-14 is customized for specific environmental challenges. The T-14 protects its crew of three through various means, including multi-layer, composite armor, and an active protection system that uses radar to detect and intercept attacks. The T-14 features a remote-controlled turret with a 125mm 2A82-1M smoothbore cannon and can fire laser-guided missiles with a maximum range of around 7 miles. The Armata Universal Combat Platform is a modular heavy military tracked vehicle platform built into tanks or other military vehicles such as armored personnel carriers. Russia’s new-and-next-gen T-14 eschews the tank designs of the past for a versatile modular construction. A hot commodity internationally, the K2 was sold to Turkey in 2008 and, a few years ago, to Poland, in a $9 billion deal for 800 tanks. Such innovations were born of their origin on the hilly (sometimes swampy) Korean peninsula. It can lean front-to-back or sideways and ford water up to 13 feet deep. The K2 is notable for its nimbleness, with a variable suspension that raises it to clear rough terrain or lowers it for increased speed. It also launches the unique KSTAM-II (Korean Smart Top-Attack Munition), which follows an artillery trajectory and slows itself with a parachute to maneuver toward an opposing tank. Its modern successor, the K2, boasts state-of-the-art agility as it cruises at over 40 miles per hour while rapid-firing a devastating salvo of 120mm rounds. It has been Korea’s “next generation tank” since 2014, though its history traces back to the late 1970s. The South Korean-built K2 was developed by a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group. The South Korean K2 Black PantherĪt $8.5 million per unit, Korea’s K2 Black Panther is one of the world’s most expensive battle tanks. Since the first functional tank was built, a 3.5 mile-per-hour speedster named Little Willie, iconic defensive technology has captured the imagination and astonishment of the world.īelow, we explore some of the most powerful battle tanks around the world. Historically, the defense sector has been at the forefront of advance. Impressive technological advancements continually inspire awe as feats once thought impossible come to fruition. Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox. Welcome to Thomas Insights - every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry.
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