The Western IslesBoard

Overview:
Upgrading from the older SK-85 MBT which entered production in 1986, the Paladin was designed from 2008-2014 and the first lot entered service in 2016. It is the most advanced tank used tank in the armed forces, and operates in foreign militaries as well.

Weapon Systems and Munitions:
Designed to improve upon the SK-85, it was primarily a project to develop local tank design and construction, as the SK-85 borrowed heavily from foreign designs and equipment. The SK-05 was designed with the latest technology available.

The turret houses a 120mm smooth bore gun capable of firing munitions at hypersonic speeds. The gun was an improvement over the SK-85A2's 120mm, which had higher muzzle velocity and more consistent velocity numbers. The turret was tested to house a 140mm gun, however concerns about muzzle velocity caused the plans to be canceled. An unmanned turret was also projected, however this was canceled early on due to crew safety concerns.

The gun features a chrome plated barrel, which increases durability and reliability of the gun. It is capable of hitting a 30 centimeters size object at range greater than 1 kilometer. This is complimented by a bustle-type autoloader which allows the tank to fire up to 10 rounds per minute. The laser barcode identifier of the autoloader recognizes the classification of pre-barcoded ammunition and selects a type of munition for loading based on mission need. The ammunition is loaded in a 16-shell magazine for ready-to-use, and 24 rounds at frontal hull, carrying a total of 40 rounds for its main armament.

The gun and turret are controlled by an electrical gun and turret drive system (EGTDS). The EGTDS provides high efficiency and high precision drive control, and its performance is improved by 3-axis stabilization. It is also designed to minimize vibration and noise when the turret is driven. The turret achieved a rotating speed of 45 degrees per second in block 1, and with the help of the APU can rotate at 40 degrees per second.

The Paladin can fire a variety of munitions from its 120mm smooth bore gun. It mainly fires a tungsten APFSDS kinetic energy penetrator. For lightly armored targets it can fire a multiuse HEAT round that will do well against infantry, APC's, and low flying helicopters. It can also carry HE rounds for use against buildings or soft targets, utilizing a programable airburst timer, which is calculated by the fire control and automatically set as it leaves the barrel. The High-Explosive Obstacle Reducing Tracer (HEOR-T) is a delay fuse bunker-buster round that can also be equipped for destruction of hardened targets.

It can also fire the Doman Smart Top Attack Munition, which can hit targets at a range of 8,000 meters. This round fires at a high angle (similar to a mortar) and deploys a parachute when over the target area. The munition then uses on-board millimeter band radar, infrared and radiometer sensors time to seek and acquire stationary or moving targets. When a target is acquired, an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) is fired from a top-down position, to exploit the weaker top armor of tanks.

Engine:
The Paladin uses a 4 cycle, 12-cylinder, long stroke, diesel engine capable of producing 1500 hp (1110kW) with a power to weight ration of 27.2 hp/t (20.28 kW/t). The tank also carries 1,296 L (342 U.S. gal) worth of fuel on board, giving it a range of 450km on road, and 230km cross country.

In the 3rd lot, the designers were able to fit an additional compact Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) into the vehicle. This APU is capable of producing 8~10 kW, and intended to act as an auxiliary power unit with which the tank may power its on-board systems when its main engine is turned off. It will also allow the tank to conserve fuel when idling and minimize the vehicle's thermal and acoustic signatures. It is also capable of producing an extra 100 hp for a short period of time, allowing the tank to move quickly.

Electronics:
The fire-control system (FCS) consists gunner's primary sight (GPS), commander's panoramic sight (CPS), ballistic calculator, electrical gun and turret drive system (EGTDS), and dynamic muzzle reference system (DMRS).

The Paladin is equipped with an advanced fire-control system linked to an Extremely High Frequency (EHF) L-band Pulsed Doppler Radar system deployed on the frontal arc of the turret, along with a VAS-1K raman laser rangefinder and crosswind sensor. The system is capable of a "lock-on" mode, which can acquire and track specific targets up to a range of 9.8 kilometers using a thermographic camera. Ththe gunner's primary sight adopts the thermographic camera. The sight provides 4x and 15x magnifications using the optical system, and 30x and 60x magnifications using a digital image processor.

The Paladin has an Automatic Target Detection and Tracking System controlled by the Automatic Target Recognition algorithm. When the target is identified as a foe by the IFF/SIF (Identification Friend or Foe/Selective Identification Feature) system, the tank automatically aims and performs laser distance measurements on the target even if the tank is maneuvering on irregular terrain while the target is moving. It can lead the target and fire automatically based on ballistic data calculated by the turret mounted laser rangefinder and crosswind sensor. This feature enhances the performance of inexperienced gunners significantly.

The SK-05 has a battlefield management system, which allows the tank to share data and communicate with nearby vehicles including other armored vehicles, and nearby helicopters. The commander of the tank has the ability to override the gunner's command, to take control of the turret and gun. Moreover, in the event of an emergency, the vehicle can be operated by only two crew members, or even a single one. The fire-control system can automatically spot and track visible targets, compare them using the data link established with other friendly vehicles to prevent redundant target engagements, and fire its main gun without manual input.

The commander's station within the tank can be equipped with a Drone Control Unit (DCU), which would allow the commander of the tank to operate small drones such as reconnaissance drones or loitering munitions from within the tank. This provides greater flexibility in the tank's ability to strike targets and scout independently without friendly units nearby. While no specialized equipment is availably yet, future upgrade packages include adding a dedicated drone launch and recovery station to the top rear of the turret. This would allow up to 4 small rotor drones to be launched, and recovered, onboard the Paladin without the crew exposing themselves.

Mobility and Maneuverability:
The Paladin can travel at speeds of up to 70 km/h on road surfaces, accelerate from 0 to 32 km/h within 7.47 seconds (Main Engine) or 8.77 seconds (APU), and maintain speeds of up to 50 km/h in off-road conditions. It can also climb 60% slopes (31 degrees) and vertical obstacles 1.3 meters in height. Due to the relatively compact design of the engine, the designers were able to fit an additional compact Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) into the remaining compartment space.

The Paladin fields an advanced semi-active suspension system, called the in-arm suspension unit (ISU), which allows for individual control of every bogie on the tracks. This posture control function can tilt the chassis or lower the overall height by 40 centimeters. This allows the vehicle to change its profile for better control on roads, rough terrain, or firing at uncommon angles.

The unique suspension system of the SK-05 expands the gun's elevation angles, allowing it to target from a high hill or a low valley. This makes it particularly effective in mountainous areas with steep hills or even in urban cities with tall buildings. The Paladin can elevate its main gun up to 24 degrees, which allows a curved trajectory attack at a hovering helicopter target 5 kilometers away. The system even includes an active-ground scanning (AGS) system, which actively scans the terrain (up to 50m) ahead of the vehicle and can predict the best position of the individual bogies ahead of time, to better improve handling and crew comfort.

The Paladin is a unique tank equipped with advanced snorkel capabilities, enabling it to navigate challenging battlefields with numerous rivers. It is fully protected from biochemical attacks by a sealed and air circulation system. This allows the tank to independently cross rivers and reach the battlefield faster than others that require engineers to build bridges or boats for river crossings. The vehicle can cross rivers as deep as 4.1 meters using its snorkel system, which also serves as a conning tower for the tank commander. The turret becomes watertight while fording, but the chassis can take in 1,900 liters of water to prevent excessive buoyancy from air inside the vehicle and keep the tracks planted firmly on the ground.

Furthermore, the tank can enter combat-ready status as soon as it resurfaces. The system takes approximately 20–30 minutes to prepare, compared to the SK-85 which took 2 hours of preparation with the help of military engineers. However, a Paladin tank does not require outside assistance for river crossing. This type of self water-crossing ability is beneficial from a tactical perspective, as it allows for more attacking routes.

Defensive Capabilities:
The Paladin uses the DSAP armor system in order to replace the inner material much quicker when it is damaged or whenever an enhanced version is available. It utilizes the Standard configuration, which uses Combined spaced armor and perforated armor configuration (CSAPA), utilizing a POSCO MIL-12560H armor steel and Aluminum-Oxide matrix, with silicon carbide ceramic plates. This combination makes the armor more shock resistant; able to better resist blast producing weapons such as anti-tank land mines, hand grenades, and bursting shells, and balances protection against KE-penetrators and Shaped Charges. The frontal armor is effective against the 120 mm APFSDS round fired from the L55 gun at a range of 1,500 m. ERA blocks are also available, with the addition of high and ultra-high hardness, non-explosive reactive armor (NERA), and urban warfare armor packages.

Inside the hull, an overpressure system is installed to protect the tank crew from chemical and biological weapons, an automatic fire suppression system is programmed to detect and put out any internal fires that may occur, and atmospheric sensors alert the crew if the tank enters a hazardous environment. The Paladin's collective protection system, which integrates positive pressure and air conditioning devices, has a ventilation capacity of 180 m3/h and a cooling capacity of 7,500 kcal/h. This is also useful for maintaining crew comfort in extreme environments where extreme heat or cold can cause degradation in the crew's fighting capabilities.

The tank is equipped with Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and Laser Warning Receiver (LWR), which detect homing radar or homing laser aimed at the tank and instantaneously turn the turret in the direction of threats as well as notifying friendly units via network system. The tank also has a total of 12 (6 on each side of the turret) Visible/IR Screening Smoke Grenade.