Pokpung - ho The P ' okp ' ung - ho or spelled Pokpung - ho ( Chosŏn ' gŭl : 폭풍호 ; Hanja : 暴風虎 ) , which means " Storm Tiger " in Korean , is a North Korean tank developed in the 1990s . The tank may incorporate technology found in the T - 62 , T - 72 , T - 80 , T - 90 , Type 88 and / or Ch ' onma - ho MBT s . Outside parties codename the tank M - 2002 because the tank went through performance trials on February 16 , 2002 ( therefore being officially confirmed by outside sources ) , although the tank has been in existence even since 1992 . The P ' okp ' ung - ho is only known to be used in North Korea . Origin . After the collapse of the Soviet Union , a significant number of T - 72s were decommissioned from Soviet service and scrapped for metal . North Korea acquired some of these scrapped T - 72s and obtained core technology for use on the P ' okp ' ung - ho through reverse engineering . North Korea is also believed to have obtained technology used in the Russia n T - 80 and T - 90 tanks during this period , and may have utilized both this information and Chinese technology ( reported to be from the Type 88 tank ) to build the P ' okp ' ung - ho , with goals of creating a tank to match the T - 90 . North Korea ' s interest in the T - 90 was demonstrated in August 2001 when Kim Jong - il visited the Omsk Transmash defense plant which builds the T - 90 during his trip to Russia . It has also been reported that North Korea has acquired a single T - 90S during the same period . North Korea may have since then used the T - 90S as a reference to retrofitting the T - 72s with parts from the T - 90 . What initiated the need to develop a new tank was likely the poor combat performance the export variants of T - 72 displayed during the Gulf War . Shocked at the destruction of Iraqi T - 72s by western tanks such as the M1 Abrams , compounded with the fact that South Korea operates the K1 MBT , which has similar performance to the American M1 Abrams MBT , North Korea decided to significantly modernize their tank fleet to bridge the performance gap between their Ch ' onma - ho MBTs and the South Korean K1 MBTs . However , economic struggles and a lack of several core technologies seem to have prevented North Korea from achieving high production numbers for the P ' okp ' ung - ho . Production history . The first P ' okp ' ung - ho is believed to have been produced in 1992 in the Ryu Kyong - su Tank Factory , located in Sinhung , South Hamgyong Province . The capabilities of later variants may have been augmented , although only to a minimal degree . Because of North Korea ' s limited industrial capability , compounded by the fact that North Korea has also spent most of the resources allotted for the development of the P ' okp ' ung - ho on their nuclear program , North Korea is believed to possess fewer than 250 of these tanks . The tank was witnessed by parties outside of North Korea in 2002 and thus codenamed the M - 2002 . Design characteristics ( Projected ) . " As most publicly available information regarding the P ' okp ' ung - ho is derived from defecting North Koreans and speculation , and as a result it is fairly unreliable . All information presented in this article is according to such sources . No schematics or photographs of the P ' okp ' ung - ho exist in public circulation . " Images of the P ' okp ' ung - ho finally surfaced in 2010 , which showed the tank appeared to be based on the Ch ' onma main battle tank ( based on 1 - 62 ) more so than the T - 72 tanks as previously believed . http : / / www . military - today . com / tanks / m2002 . htm North Korean propaganda claims that the P ' okp ' ung - ho is comparable or superior to the Russian T - 90 , which was developed in the 1990s . Although the design and size of the P ' okp ' ung - ho closely resembles the T - 80 or T - 90 , its capabilities are said to be more or less comparable to export variants of the T - 72 or other 2 . 5th generation tanks . Although the P ' okp ' ung - ho tanks may be slightly superior or somewhat comparable to the M48A5K or the basic model K1 tank , it is unlikely to have any advantage over the K1 PIP , K1A1 or K2 Black Panther . Armament . The P ' okp ' ung - ho ' s primary armament is 125 mm smoothbore gun , which fires Armor Piercing shells produced in North Korea . The gun has been altered to be flat and round to resemble that of the T - 80 , although the purpose of this alteration is unknown . The tank also has a heavy anti - aircraft machine gun , a coaxial machine gun and four missiles of unknown type , which may be either hull - mounted MANPADS or ATGM s . If the missiles are ATGMs , it is likely a copy of the 3M6 Shmel or 9M14 Malyutka ( Susong - Po ) . If the missiles are MANPADs , then it is likely a copy of the 9K38 Igla or 9K32 Strela - 2 ( Hwasung - Chong ) . Hull / Armor . The P ' okp ' ung - ho is built on a T - 72 hull , with six sets of roadwheels within the caterpillar . The tank has increased armor on the front ( composite or spaced armor ) , turret ( spaced armor and a wedge - shaped gun mantlet ) and on the top . The P ' okp ' ung - ho has as much armor as the T - 80U or a late - model T - 72 , able to withstand a TOW , an anti - tank gun , HEAT or DPICM strike . However , the tank ' s frontal armor is expected to be penetrated by the new South Korean 105 mm APFSDS or 120 mm APFSDS . The tank weighs roughly 45 tons and utilizes explosive - reactive armor , which it may be covered with . However , given North Korea ' s limited stockpile it is likely to be selectively placed on the upper and side areas of the tank . The tank is also capable of submerging 5 meters underwater ( the tip of the gun must remain above water ) when the apparatus is equipped . Engine . Although the horsepower of the P ' okp ' ung - ho ' s engine has been speculated to be as high as 1500 , the engine is likely to have around 1000 - 1100 horsepower . It has been reported that North Korea rejected developing the engine of the T - 80 , judging that it would not be suitable for a tank engagement within the narrow , mountainous terrain of Korea , and that it would prove to be of little difference on defensive missions . During aggressive missions , the P ' okp ' ung - ho can quickly engage the enemy due to its already excellent speed and acceleration , which is the basis of North Korean tank tactics . Internal systems . When developing the P ' okp ' ung - ho , North Korea has opted to remove much of the redundant systems of the T - 72 to increase its speed and maneuverability within Korean terrain , enhancing its ability to cross mountainous terrain , mudflats , and to submerge when crossing rivers . The systems removed include the autoloader , which North Korea traditionally disfavors due to their belief that manual and automatic loading have little time difference . North Korea also realized that more rounds could be stored within the tank if the autoloader was removed , as well as improving its mobility due to the decreased weight . The Fire Control System of the P ' okp ' ung - ho has been improved from the baseline T - 72 FCS ( in the areas of shell trajectory calculation , laser guidance and nighttime performance ) , and some reports claim that it may be based on the Chieftain FCS , which Iran may have illegally exchanged for North Korean Technology . If the P ' okp ' ung - ho ' s FCS is based on the T - 72 ' s , it may implement the PNK - 3 or PNK - 4 day and night sighting system with the 1K13 - 49 periscopic combined passive / active sight guidance system . While it is unlikely that the P ' okp ' ung - ho is equipped with an Active Protection System , some reports claim that the P ' okp ' ung - ho may possibly be equipped with the Arena APS , although of dubious quality . The P ' okp ' ung - ho also has an infrared sensor ( TPN - 3 - 49 or TPN - 4 ) , a laser rangefinder and a search light , all of which allow the P ' okp ' ung - ho to operate during the night . Although the quality of the equipment are likely inferior to the South Korean counterparts , the P ' okp ' ung - ho is believed to be a considerable threat at medium / short range engagements , although lacking when firing from long ranges . Comparisons . " Tanks compared below are the P ' okp ' ung - ho of the North Korean Army , the T - 80U , K1 , K1A1 , and K2 of the South Korean armed forces , the M1A2 of the United States Forces Korea , and the T - 90 of the Russian Army . The K1 , K1A1 , K2 , T - 80U and M1A2 are included because the P ' okp ' ung - ho is most likely to engage these tanks in battle , whereas the T - 90 is added for comparison because of North Korea ' s original propaganda stating that the P ' okp ' ung - ho has similar specs to the T - 90 . "