North Korea’s first indigenous tank; the P’okp’ung-ho tank. With the design thought to be based upon counterparts of the Soviet-era tanks it has in its possession such as the T-72, and the T-64 tanks from the Soviet Union-era; it definitely shares similarities with its Soviet designed counterparts.
Here you can see a side-by-side shot of a T-72 and of the P’okp’ung-ho tank; however, while the hull may share similarities, the turret design seems to be that of North Korean origin.
T-72 vs North Korean tank (design)
Weight:
44 Tonnes
Crew number:
4 (Gunner, Driver, Commander and reload crewman)
Armament:
- 115mm 2A20 (Pokpung-Ho I)
- 125mm 2A46 smoothbore gun (Pokpung-Ho II & III)
Secondary armament:
- 14.5 mm KPVT heavy anti-aircraft machine gun (AA)
- 7.62 mm PKT
The modernization of the North Korean tank fleet came into order because of how poorly Iraqi T-72 MBTs performed again US M1 Abrams in the first Gulf War. This led to the P’okp’ung-ho tank development as a competitor toward the South Korean K1 MBT.
