WORLD : According to the news agency, training was designed to inspect tankmen’s combat capabilities and involved the new-type main battle tank that Kim called “the world’s most powerful,”
Sporting a black leather jacket, Kim watched live-fire “training march” exercises from a field command post before mounting the new tank -unofficially known as the M2020- and driving it himself, KCNA said.
Kim expressed “great satisfaction” that the tank demonstrated its striking power in its inaugural performance display and told his troops to bolster their “fighting spirits” and complete “preparations for war”, the news agency added.
North Korea’s Defence Ministry earlier vowed to carry out “responsible military activities” in reaction to the ongoing military exercises by South Korea and the United States. The exercise training involves a computer-simulated command post training and 48 kinds of field drills, twice the number conducted last year.
Visually, the M2020 tank, first unveiled during a parade in 2020, appears to be a mix design of the American M1 Abrams and the Russian T-14 Armata or Iranian Zulfiqar tank.
The tank is equipped with composite armor. Parts of the turret appear to have armor up to ten cm thick to defend against top-attack munitions. The tank was also seen with explosive reactive armor blocks during a parade last year.
The M2020’s main gun is derived from the Soviet 2A46 125 mm gun, which are also used on the Chonma-216 and Songun-915 tanks. The gun is equipped with a muzzle reference system to improve its accuracy when firing on the move.
A coaxial machine gun is located to the left of the main gun and an AGS-30 grenade launcher is located on the left side of the roof of the turret. The tank is also armed with two Bulsae-3 anti-tank guided missiles on the right side of the turret. The Bulsae-3 missiles are said to be reversed engineered Russian-made Kornet missiles.
The M2020 is believed to be powered by a 1,200 horsepower engine used on the Songun-915 tanks. The tank has seven road wheels, indicating that it is bigger than previous North Korean tanks. The estimated mass of the tank is 55 tons, or above 50 tons.
The roof of the turret features panoramic sights and a meteorological mast on the right side, and smoke grenade launchers at the rear of the turret protected by slat armor.
In addition, a hard kill active protection systems are possibly fitted on the lower part of the turret; two in the front corners and two on each side, each containing three tube launchers.
This APS layout is similar to the Russian Afghanit featured on the T-14. The sensors used for the possible active protection systems are located in the front corners of the turret.
The number of M2020s currently in service with the North Korean military is unknown. However, the tank appears to be in production.
North Korea has for long maintained superiority over the South when it comes to the number of tanks in active military service, with reportedly more than 3,500. The M2020 was a strong addition to the country’s massive tank fleet. It also demonstrates how Pyongyang has been successfully modernizing its military despite facing strict sanctions.
BY southfront.press
Join: 👉 https://t.me/acnewspatriots
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AC.NEWS
Disclaimer: This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). AC.News will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article www.ac.news websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner. Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Discussion about this post