K1 88-Tank - Development of K1A1

Development of K1A1

The K1A1 was accepted into Korean service on October 13, 2001, after the first one was produced on April 3, 1996 and is an upgraded version of the K1 MBT. The KM68 main gun has been replaced with the KM256 120 mm main gun (a licensed production model of the U.S. M256 which, in turn, is a licensed production model of the Rheinmetall L44) which nearly doubled the penetration power of the original vehicle. In addition, its fire control system, thermal sights, LASER rangefinder, turret and gun stabilization and armor have been improved, giving the vehicle greater survivability and lethality. The improved armor is called 'Korean Special Armour Plate(KSAP)'. The weight of the vehicle has increased along with the upgrade, and has slightly lowered its power-to-weight ratio and speed, the former of which was considered already too low for the rough Korean terrain by some critics.

The KCPS specifications for K1A1 is as follows;

• Zoom: 3× / 10× (day & night)
• Vertical scan angle (the amount of angle which the optics can move up and down): +/- 35˚
• Horizontal scan angle (the amount of angle which the optics can turn): 360˚
• Gunner's alternate sight zoom: 8×

The carbon dioxide laser rangefinder's specification is as follows;

• Range: 200 ~ 7,990 m
• Daytime magnification: 1× / 10×
• Nighttime magnification: 3× / 10×

The K1A1 can easily be distinguished from the K1 by the shape of the gun, location of the co-axial machinegun, shape of the commander's panoramic sight, and overall angular shape of the turret. (The K1A1 has more curved surfaces than the K1.) The 120 mm smoothbore gun of K1A1 is thicker than the K1's 105 mm rifled gun and has a thicker thermal sleeve a third of the way from the base of the gun. The co-axial machinegun on K1A1 is located at a much higher point compared to the K1. The K1A1 also features a somewhat cone-shaped day/night KGPS compared to day-only sight of the K1, which has a plain, tube-like appearance to it.