Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC) have officially signed a teaming agreement to co-operate on the integration, production, marketing, localisation and full lifecycle support of Rafael’s Trophy active protection system (APS) on HRC’s K2 Black Panther main battle tank (MBT) and future South Korean armoured platforms.
The agreement was signed on 4 September 2025 at the MSPO defence exhibition at Targi Kielce in Poland in a ceremony attended by senior executives from both companies.
The strategic partnership follows an initial memorandum of understanding signed by the companies and sets a clear framework for joint activities supporting South Korea’s APS programme and additional global opportunities.
Hyundai Rotem announced that it will integrate Rafael’s combat-proven Trophy APS onto the K2 MBT, including the Polonised K2PL variant, marking the first time the South Korean tank will be equipped with such a system.
“With a strong track record on the battlefield, the Trophy APS offers a significant opportunity to enhance the protection of the K2 main battle tank,” Hyung-Joon Jo, senior vice president and head of Hyundai Rotem’s Defense Solutions R&D Center, was quoted as saying in a Rafael press release. “Through a strategic teaming agreement, both companies will work closely to optimise and fully integrate the APS, tailoring it specifically for the K2 while ensuring adaptability for a wide range of customers. We expect that the Trophy APS will also benefit greatly from the global market expansion of the K2 main battle tank.”
Poland has so far ordered 360 K2 MBTs, including at least 60 K2PL variants, with the first 180 due to be delivered by the end of 2025. A framework agreement between Poland and South Korea, however, covers the provision of up to 1,000 K2 MBTs, with increasing production of the tanks in Poland.
A Hyundai Rotem K2GF on display at MSPO 2025. The ‘GF’ in the designation stands for Gap Filler, denoting a K2 that has been adapted to Polish requirements from the baseline K2. Black Panthers produced in Poland will be known as K2PLs. The path has now been cleared for Poland’s K2s to receive the Rafael Trophy APS. [P Felstead]