North Korea has unveiled a new Main Battle Tank (MBT) that has a design similar design to modern Western equivalents, experts say.
The new Tianma-2, an upgraded version of the Cheonma-2 tank, was revealed at a defense exhibition in Pyongyang on November 21, amid tensions about North Korea’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Tianma-2 “closely resembles modern Western and U.S. main battle tanks,” said the Army Recognition Group, a Belgian-based company that provides military analysis.
Experts from the group, who studied images of the Tianma-2 released by the North Korean Press Agency, compared the tank to the German Leopard 2A7/A8, known for its advanced and modern armor, firepower and digital systems.
North Korea Press Agency
The Tianma-2, which is operated by a three-person crew, incorporates an automatic loading system for its primary weapon—a 125 mm smoothbore cannon.
Its turret design provides enhanced protection against kinetic energy projectiles (APFSDS rounds) and shaped charges (HEAT rounds) and the Tianma-2 also has an Active Protection System (APS), designed to counter anti-tank weapons. The Army Recognition Group describes this as “one of the most striking updates.”
“The inclusion of advanced features such as APS, modular armor, and drone countermeasures signals a shift towards equipping [North Korean] forces with tanks designed for high-intensity, modern combat scenarios,” the group said.
Newsweek has contacted the Permanent Mission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the United Nations Office and the U.S. Department of Defense, via email, for comment.
The Cheonma-2, which experts said “showcased North Korea’s ambition to modernize its armored forces,” was first introduced as the M2020 during a military parade in October 2020—it was then renamed the Cheonma-2 in May 2024.
The unveiling of the Tianma-2 comes as a recent report from the U.S. think tank, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), concluded that North Korea is expanding a weapons-manufacturing factory that assembles short-range missiles used by Russia in the war in Ukraine.
The facility, which is known as the February 11 plant, is a part of the Ryongsong Machine Complex in Hamhung.
Satellite imagery taken in early October by the firm Planet Labs shows an additional assembly building under construction, as well as a new housing facility, Reuters reported.
Moscow and Pyongyang have both previously denied that North Korea has transferred weapons for Russia to use in its war on Ukraine, though Moscow has not denied the involvement of North Korean troops in the war.