Korea seeks to sell tanks to Turkey

Korea is seeking to export its newly developed combat tanks to Turkey, a defense official said yesterday.

Korea has applied for the Turkish tank acquisition bid with its next-generation amphibious tanks codenamed "XK2," whose first three units were rolled out Friday.

Under the project, Ankara is expected to produce more than 1,000 units in partnership with a selected firm. Turkey is scheduled to select preferred equipment in May.

"Korea and France are currently vying for Turkey`s next-generation tank contract. The Turkish military and defense firms have showed more trust in our technology, so the country is highly likely to pick up our products," the official said on condition anonymity.

Since 2004, the Seoul government has worked hard to win the contract from Ankara, officials said.

In early 2004, XK2`s developer, Agency for Defense Development, invited Turkish defense officials to Korea so they could explain the quality of their new tanks. Later, Korea sent tank developers and defense officials to Turkey several times to promote the equipment, officials said.

On Tuesday, Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo will fly to Turkey to attend a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Turkey.

During the visit, lasting until Mar. 10, Kim will meet his Turkish counterpart and defense acquisition officials to discuss the sale of the XK2 tanks, officials said. They expressed hope that Kim`s visit will affect Turkey`s decision on the contract.

The XK2, nicknamed "Black Panther," can maneuver under water as deep as 4.1 meters and travel at a speed of more than 70 kilometers per hour on the road. With a crew of three it boasts an auto-loading 120 mm cannon capable of downing helicopters.

The new model, which will be commissioned in 2011, aims to replace Korea`s indigenous K1 tanks and U.S.-made M47/48s. The price is estimated at $8.8 million per unit.

Korea`s defense officials call XK2 one of the world`s top-class equipment, equivalent to U.S.`s M1A2, France`s Leclerc in quality.

"Having similar terrain with Korea, Turkey is showing a deep interest to our tanks. If our equipment is selected for the Turkish contract, it would be a good chance to show off our ground weapons technology," a defense development official said.

Korea is now delivering 350 K-9 self-propelled guns to Turkey under a 2001 contract. Eighty-one of the guns have already been delivered to Ankara as of last May. Seoul and Ankara are currently negotiating Korea`s export of K-1 tanks, KT-1 trainer jets and warships.

(davidpooh@heraldm.com)



By Jin Dae-woong