Hyundai Rotem shows “tank of the future”
The tank, called K3, still has a crew inside, but the soldiers are not in the turret and are well protected. The concept exists only in electronic form and in drawings; it will be made in iron in 7 years.
The South Korean company Hyundai Rotem has demonstrated a concept of its new generation tank, in which it has introduced a number of high-tech solutions in automotive and electrical engineering.
The new main battle tank, called the K3, is based on a modular platform with a crew compartment in the front and a power plant in the rear.
The low silhouette of the tank with reduced visibility in the radar and infrared ranges makes the new K3 virtually invisible to the enemy. At the same time, anti-tank missiles and other weapon systems will also be almost invisible to the enemy due to their integration inside the turret.
The hull of the new K3 tank will be equipped with a modular armor system made of steel, ceramics and composite materials – almost like a supercar.
Among the innovative features of the K3 tank is an unmanned turret that has a remotely controlled 130-mm smoothbore gun. Thanks to fully automated charging, this design requires only three crew members. The driver, gunner and commander of the tank are located in the combat compartment, which is located in an armored capsule in the front of the hull, isolated from the loading machine and the ammunition storage in the center of the tank.
The K3 will have a combat weight of 55 tons and will be equipped with a diesel engine that will allow the tank to reach a maximum speed of 70 km/h, and up to 50 km/h off-road. The maximum driving range with full tanks is up to 500 km.
South Korea’s army has submitted a request for the development of the K3 tank; the first running prototype is expected to be seen in 2030
