South Korea is seeking to export its newly developed combat tanks to Turkey, the local daily Korea Herald quoted a defense official as saying on Monday.

According to the report, South Korea has applied for the Turkish tank acquisition bid with its next-generation amphibious tanks codenamed "XK2," whose first three units were rolled out Friday.

Under the project, Ankara is expected to produce more than 1, 000 units in partnership with a selected firm. Turkey is scheduled to select preferred equipment in May.

"Korea and France are currently vying for Turkey's next- generation tank contract. The Turkish military and defense firms have shown more trust in our technology, so the country is highly likely to pick up our products," the report quoted an unnamed official of the country's defense ministry as saying.

In early 2004, XK2's developer, Agency for Defense Development, invited Turkish defense officials to South Korea to show the quality of their new tanks. Later, South Korea sent tank developers and defense officials to Turkey several times to promote the equipment, the report said.

On Tuesday, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo will fly to Turkey to attend a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Turkey.

During the visit, lasting until March 10, Kim will meet his Turkish counterpart and defense acquisition officials to discuss the sale of the XK2 tanks, South Korean officials told the newspaper.

The XK2, nicknamed "Black Panther," can maneuver under water as deep as 4.1 meters and travel at a speed of more than 70 km per hour on the road. With a crew of three it boasts an auto-loading 120 mm cannon capable of downing helicopters.

The new model, which will be commissioned in 2011, aims to replace Korea's indigenous K1 tanks and U.S.-made M47/48s. The price is estimated at 8.8 million U.S. dollars per unit.

Source: Xinhua