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The frontal arc of the K1 has been fitted with an advanced armour of the Chobham type, which is manufactured in the United States. The layout of the K1 is conventional with the driver being seated on the front left and provided with a single piece hatch. The driver has three day periscopes, the centre one of which can be replaced by a passive night periscope. The commander is seated on the right hand side of the turret with the gunner being below and foreword of his position and the loader is on the left. The commander has a French SFIM two-axis, independently stabilised, panoramic sight (with magnifications of x 3 and x 10), manufactured by Samsung Electronics Company Limited, under licence from SFIM. The gunner also has a two axis stabilised sight that incorporates a day channel, a night channel (from a thermal imaging system) and a laser rangefinder (an eye-safe carbon dioxide type). It has magnifications of x 1 and x 10 (day) and x 3 and x 10 (night). The gunner is also equipped with an articulated auxiliary sight, manufactured by the Electro-Optical Division of the Kollmorgan Corporation and Opto Mechanik Incorporated (OMI). The main armament comprises a 105mm rifled gun (the US designed M68A1), which is also fitted to South Korean M48A5 tanks. A 7.62mm M60E2 machine-gun is mounted coaxially. A 7.62mm M60D machine gun is mounted on the roof by the loader's hatch, while the commander has a 12.7mm K6 roof mounted machine gun. A bank of six electrically operated smoke grenade dischargers are mounted on either side of the turret. The suspension is similar to the Japanese type 90, in that it is a hybrid system with improved torsion bars in the centre and hydro-pneumatic suspension units at each end. There are six dual rubber-tyred road wheels, drive sprocket at the rear and an idler at the front on each side. The track return rollers are covered with an armoured skirt. The engine consists of a German MTU MB 871 Ka-501 diesel (1,200hp) coupled to a Renk LSG 3000 fully automatic transmission. Standard equipment on the E K one includes a passive image intensification periscope for the driver, hydraulic bilge pump, heater, automatic fire detection and suppression system for both of the crew and engine compartments, an NBC system and an intercom system. Variants include the K1A1 MBT, two prototypes of which were completed in 1996 and successfully passed all the severe testing on them, conducted through to February 1997. The K1A1 has the Korean Commander's Panoramic Sight that has been developed locally, and is armed with the 120mm M256 smoothbore gun, which is also installed in the M1A1 and M1A2 Abrams tanks. The tank also has a improved main gun stabilisation, enhanced ballistic computer processing, enhanced night combat performance due to a thermal imaging capability to be has added to the commander's panoramic sight, improved sealing capability in fording operations, an improved fire suppression system and the addition of a track with replaceable pads resulting in easier maintainability. There are also Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridge, Armoured Recovery Vehicle, mineclearing vehicle and Combat Mobility Vehicle variants.
(K1) Hull length: 7.48m. Hull width: 3.59m. Height: 2.25m. Crew: 4. Ground Clearance: 0.46m Weight: 51,100kg (combat) Ground pressure: 0.87kg/sq.cm Max speed: 65km/h. Max range (internal fuel): 437km on road. Armament: 105mm M68A1 rifled gun, 1 x 7.62mm machine gun mounted coaxially, 1 x 12.7mm (0.5) machine gun and 1 x 7.62mm machine gun mounted on turret roof.
