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Hyundai Rotem unveils full-scale Middle East-tailored K2 tank

Published: 27 Mar. 2026, 15:06

The Middle East-tailored K2 main battle tank [HYUNDAI ROTEM]

Hyundai Rotem unveiled the first full-scale Middle East-tailored version of the K2 main battle tank, which is currently under development.

The company held a rollout ceremony for the tank at its Changwon plant in South Gyeongsang on Friday, attended by officials from the National Assembly, local governments and Middle Eastern countries.

The Middle East-tailored K2, officially dubbed the K2ME, tank has been in development by Hyundai Rotem and partner companies since 2024 under a weapon-system modification program overseen by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Designed for the region’s extreme heat, it is built to carry out missions in temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

Hyundai Rotem also unveiled upgraded components, including a radiator with improved cooling performance and a coolant housing that draws in outside air to keep the engine coolant system functioning.

Inside the turret, an auxiliary cooling unit supplies cold air to keep onboard systems operating and improve crew comfort. A newly developed fuel tank has enhanced elasticity and dust resistance to suit desert terrain, and the gunner’s auxiliary sight has also been optimized for high-temperature environments.

Hyundai Rotem is continuing research and development (R&D) with partner companies to raise the domestic sourcing ratio for K2 tank parts beyond the current rate of roughly 90 percent.

Hyundai Rotem's K2PL main battle tank is on display at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition on Oct. 20, 2025, in Goyang, Gyeonggi. [CHO YONG-JUN]

The company is pursuing further localization to diversify its export footholds in the face of export constraints.

The K2 tank is targeting the Middle East market, where geopolitical tensions are rising as the Iran war continues. The most promising clients are Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

“In a rapidly changing global security environment, the fruit of this research and development effort, pursued with Middle East exports as its goal, will help further strengthen the global competitiveness of Korea’s defense industry,” said Lee Yong-bae, the CEO and President of Hyundai Rotem.

The first public unveiling of the Middle East-tailored K2 tank came after the Defense Acquisition Program Act was revised in July 2025. Before then, defense companies had not been allowed to possess the actual equipment they produced, but the revision allowed them to do so for purposes such as R&D and promotion.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NAM YOON-SEO [[email protected]]