DAPA approves 3.45 trillion won K2 Black Panther upgrade with active protection, drone jammers, and remote weapon stations

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration approved the basic strategy for the K2 tank performance-improvement program at the 177th Defense Project Promotion Committee on August 11, 2026. The program will spend about 3.448 trillion won (~$2.4 billion) from 2028 to 2046 to fit every K2 in Republic of Korea Army service with a hard-kill active protection system, drone and improvised-explosive-device jammers, and a remote-controlled weapon station, with the first upgraded tanks entering service from 2033. DAPA framed the package as a response to lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war and North Korean drone development, shifting tank survivability from passive armor toward detecting and defeating top-attack missiles, FPV drones, and loitering munitions. The APS, jammers, and weapon stations are expected to be domestically produced, giving Korean suppliers a reference configuration that Hyundai Rotem can also offer to K2 export customers such as Poland.