K2 Black Panther tanks
SEOUL, July 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has finalized a landmark defense export deal with Poland for a second batch of K2 Black Panther tanks, marking the largest single defense export contract in the country’s history and the first major arms deal under President Lee Jae-myung’s administration.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced Wednesday that Hyundai Rotem, the manufacturer of the K2 tank, concluded negotiations with Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on the follow-up contract. While the exact size of the deal remains undisclosed at Warsaw’s request, industry estimates suggest it involves the delivery of 180 tanks valued at approximately $6.5 billion.
The agreement follows Poland’s 2022 master contract with South Korean defense firms, which covered four major weapons systems: the K2 tank, K9 self-propelled howitzer, FA-50 light combat aircraft, and the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher. Poland has since signed follow-up contracts for each system, including a second-stage K9 deal in 2023 and a Chunmoo agreement earlier this year.
Unlike the first K2 contract, which supplied fully assembled tanks made in South Korea, the second phase includes both Korean-made units and a domestically customized version, the K2PL, which will be partly produced in Poland. Out of the 180 tanks, 117 will be built by Hyundai Rotem and 63 assembled locally by Polish defense group PGZ.
The inclusion of localized production, the development of the K2PL variant, and the construction of a tank manufacturing facility in Poland significantly expanded the contract’s scope and value. DAPA said the investment in local production infrastructure enhances the feasibility of fulfilling the broader goal of delivering a total of 1,000 K2 tanks to Poland.
Officials view the deal as a model for defense cooperation aligned with the European Union’s “European Re-armament Plan” announced in March, and see it as a potential springboard for further exports to EU countries and NATO allies.
“This agreement strengthens the foundation for K2 tanks to play a key role not just in Korean defense, but in European security as well,” said DAPA Commissioner Seok Jong-gun.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)