| K1 | K1A1 |
The K1A1 is a prototype South Korean main battle tank in use with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. It is a improvement of the original K1 tank. The vehicle was first introduced in Wargame: Red Dragon.
History[]
The vehicle is also known as "K-1A1 전차" and "88 전차 " in some Korean sources.
The K1A1 was a major development on the already existing K1 tank. It replaced the original main gun with the more powerful KM256, and saw the installation of a new fire control system and laser rangefinder among other improvements. The armor plates were also much improved with this new variant through the installation of the Korean Special Armor Plate (KSAP), bringing the tank in parallel with the M1A1 Abrams and T-80U (South Korea obtained 33 T-80Us from Russia in 1995). However, the installation of the new gun also made the internal space narrower and reduced the amount of ammunition.
The first K1A1 prototype was completed by Hyundai Precision in 1996 and finished operational testing in 1997. However, K1A1 will not enter ROKA service until 2001. As of 2016, there were a total of 484 K1A1s in service. This number is lower than ROKA's initial plan to retrofit 500 vehicles in 2005.
It should be noted that the three MGs equipped with K1 are one 7.62mm M60E2 for coaxial, one 7.62mm M60D and one 12.7mm K6 (M2) on the turret for the loader and commander respectively, instead of M240 in-stats (the model is correct).
The diamond mark in front of the chassis represents that this a K1A1 from the 1st Armored Brigade. These served in the armored battalions of 3 Armored Brigades and the 4 Mechanized Division
Overview[]
- Most powerful and expensive tank in South Korea's inventory.
- Decent side, top, and back armor values compared to other tanks of the same price range.
- Good mobility, especially while moving off-road. This makes up for the large size of the tank, as it would be harder to hit while on the move.
- Mounts two machine guns, one focused on quality and the other on quantity of the shots.
- Like nearly all NATO tanks, it does not wield any ATGMs, thus making it more vulnerable to enemy tanks of the same class if it's not used in combination with ATGM helicopters and/or fire support vehicles.
Weapons[]
| Weapons | 
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Main Gun | MMG | MMG |
| Name | KM256 | M2 Browning | M240 |
| Caliber | [KE] [AoE] 120mm |
12,7mm | 7,62m |
| Ammo | x 29 | x 900 | x 2200 |
| Range | Ground = 2275 m Helicopters = N/A m  Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = 1050 m Helicopters = 875 m Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = 875 m Helicopters = 525 m Airplanes = N/A m
|
| Accuracy | 65% | 15% | 20% |
| Stabilizer | 55% | 5% | 10% |
| AP Power | 22 | N/A | N/A |
| HE Power | 3 | 0.75 | 0.5 |
| Suppression | 138 | 90 | 55 |
| Rate of fire | 9 r/min | 652 r/min | 652 r/min |
Gallery[]
See also[]
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