Hyundai Rotem, Rafael sign deal to integrate Trophy APS on K2 tank
The Trophy APS is displayed at Defence and Security Equipment International 2023 held in London. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)
Hyundai Rotem and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems have agreed to integrate the Israeli company's Trophy active protection system (APS) onto the South Korean K2 main battle tank (MBT), the two companies announced on 4 September.
Under the teaming agreement, Rafael and Hyundai Rotem will co-operate on the āintegration, production, marketing, localisation, and full life-cycle supportā of the Trophy APS on the K2 as well as āfuture platforms for the Republic of Koreaā, Rafael said in a press release.
The company added that the Trophy APS will also be integrated into the K2 MBTs that Hyundai Rotem will export to Poland. In early August, the Polish Armaments Agency (AA) signed a contract with Hyundai Rotem to acquire an additional 180 K2s and support vehicles. It had ordered an initial batch of 180 K2s in 2022. In Poland, the tank is referred to as K2PL.
Rafael also said the newly signed agreement reflects a commitment by both companies to ādeliver next-generation active protection capabilities tailored for Korean land forces while also pursuing co-development, local production, and export opportunitiesā.
According to Rafael, the teaming agreement follows an initial memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the companies to support Trophy APS integration onto the K2 for the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA).
The RoKA has ordered four K2 production batches from Hyundai Rotem since the early 2010s, totalling more than 300 vehicles. The most recent batch was ordered in 2024, with deliveries scheduled to be fulfilled by 2028. In total, the RoKA has a requirement for about 600 K2s.
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