Norwegian defense contractor Nammo has reached an agreement to develop a new and modern 120mm ammunition for the K2 main battle tank of the Hyundai Rotem Company.
Nammo said the first test shots were fired.
“This is an important milestone for Nammo. The agreement with Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC) allows us to further integrate and develop our modern ammunition portfolio for the K2 main battle tank (MBT). Audun Dotseth, Vice President of Large Caliber Systems at Nammo, said:
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The deal between the two companies has an initial value of $5 million for the R&D part and could be more than $100 million if Nammo ends production and supplies 120mm ammunition to K2 users. Poland recently signed a contract to buy nearly 200 Korean-made K2 tanks, of which HRC will supply a total of 1000 K2 MBTs with consecutive contracts. Norway is currently in the final stages of selecting a new MBT for its Army – K2 is one of two candidates.
Initially, Nammo will begin work on integrating its existing 120mm ammunition to ensure high safety standards as well as perfect compatibility with the K2 MBT. In the medium to long term, Nammo together with HRC is also expected to finalize the development of the programmable generator. This will allow the K2 MBT to use ammunition with modes depending on different scenarios, with airburst being one such option.
Euiseong Lee, Vice President of HRC said: “The agreement between the two companies will further prepare K2 MBT for the European market. “Today’s K2 is fully compatible with NATO munitions standards and the partnership with Nammo will further enhance the security provided to both Norway and other K2 users in Europe,” he said. .
The first successful tests with the new air-piercing ammunition were fired at the Rena firing range during last winter’s testing and testing in Norway. To facilitate further testing and development processes, a gun identical to the one used by the K2 MBT, delivered by Hyundai Wia, will be permanently established by HRC at its Raufoss test center. Nammo.
