South Korea is building a tank of the future: K3 powered by hydrogen with a 5 km cannon and AI instead of a gunner

Not diesel, but hydrogen: how the tank became quieter and more secretive

South Korea is launching a program to create a new main battle tank, the K3. His main feature? It will run on hydrogen. The developer is Hyundai Rotem. It is based on a hydrogen—diesel hybrid power plant, but the goal is clear: to switch to full hydrogen power.

Why is this necessary? Hydrogen engines are much quieter, produce less heat footprint and do not emit as much smoke. This means that the tank is more difficult to detect, especially at night or in the forest. He can also stay in ambush for longer without refueling.

A cannon at 5 km and missiles at 8 — what will he hit with

The K3's weapons are serious. The main barrel is a 130 mm smoothbore cannon mounted in an uninhabited turret. The gunner is an artificial intelligence. He chooses the firing mode himself, calculates the trajectory, and even helps determine the priority of the target.

The range of damage is up to 5 kilometers. But if the target is further away, anti—tank missiles will be used - their range reaches 8 km. The tank will also receive a remote—controlled combat module on the roof: a 12.7 mm machine gun or an automatic cannon up to 30 mm for the task.

Crew in a capsule — survivability is higher, chances of survival are higher

All three crew members — the commander, the driver, and the loader — will sit in an armored capsule in the hull, separated from the turret and ammunition. This dramatically increases the chances of surviving a hit.

If a shell pierces the turret and the ammunition explodes, the capsule remains intact. The crew can continue the battle or safely leave the vehicle.

Eyes in a circle, AI mind, and drone protection

The tank will be equipped with a 360-degree viewing system — like virtual reality: the commander will see everything around without leaning out. Autonomous functions will help you navigate through difficult terrain.

Active protection will respond to missiles, and electronic warfare systems will be able to jam drones that fly to attack. Now the tank is not just a weapon, but a mobile communications, intelligence and defense hub.

Sources

1. Amalantra.ru — K3 NG-MBT design, specs & power-pack overview
2. Hi-Tech+ — Hyundai’s silent hydrogen tank & armament details
3. Building-Tech.org — K3 future tank: AI, hybrid drive & 130 mm gun
4. Mail.ru Auto — Hyundai presents silent hydrogen tank
5. Vzglyad.ru — K3 crew layout & technical characteristics

Frigate 054V: How China Builds the "Smart" Ship of the Future with Helicopter Z-20 and New Electronics

China is launching a new generation of frigates — and this is not just an upgrade, but a real breakthrough. The new frigate URO project 054V, which is currently being built at shipyards in Guangzhou and Shanghai, has become noticeably larger and more powerful than its predecessors. Its length is 147 meters, width is 17 meters, and full displacement is 5500–5600 tons. This is 1200 tons more than the frigates 054A, and this growth is not just for size, but for capabilities.

What Changed?

First, the helicopter. Thanks to the elongated hull, Chinese engineers increased the aviation hangar from 20 to 24 meters. Now it comfortably fits the anti-submarine helicopter Z-20 — an analog of the Russian Ka-27, but more modern. And to avoid hauling it by hand, the ship is equipped with a special mechanical device that carefully rolls the helicopter onto the deck and back into the hangar. Convenient, fast, and safe.

Second, the power plant. Frigate 054V uses a hybrid power scheme: two gas turbine engines QC-280 (totaling 66,000 hp) and two diesels. But the key is that they do not drive the shaft directly, but act as generators, powering electric motors that then rotate the propellers. This is called electric drive — a technology that the USA and the UK have been using for a long time.

Why is this cool?

— Space savings: up to 65% of the volume of engine rooms is freed up because bulky reducers and shafts are not needed.

— Quieter: at a speed of 15–20 knots (ideal for anti-submarine defense) the ship becomes much quieter — meaning it is harder to detect.

— More fuel: the freed-up space was allocated for additional fuel tanks.

The result is that at a speed of 15 knots, the frigate can travel up to 7500 miles, and at 18 knots — 6500 miles. That's almost 14,000 km without refueling. For comparison: the distance from Shanghai to San Francisco is about 10,000 km.

Armament: From Gun to ASW

On the bow is a 100-mm artillery mount. Why not 76 mm and not 130 mm? The Chinese calculated: 76-mm shells are too weak, and a 130-mm turret is too bulky. 100 mm is the golden mean.

Air defense is three-tiered:

- "Sea Red Banner-10" — short-range SAM (22 missiles),

- Type 1130 — a six-barrelled gun-carriage,

- And a vertical launch system (VLS) with 32 containers, divided into three sections:

  1. 8 TPC — for 48–56 SAM of short/medium range (up to 40 km),

  2. 16 TPC — for HQ-16FE (up to 100 km), with active radar homing that sees an aircraft at 30 km and a missile at 15 km,

  3. 8 TPC — for ASW missiles "Fish-8" or "Fish-11".

For combating ships — 8 supersonic ASM YJ-12, in two launchers with 4 missiles each. Subsonic YJ-83, according to Chinese experts, are already "obsolete".

"Eyes" of the Ship: New Generation Radars

The main radar is H/LJQ-368, a 3D station with an active phased array antenna (APAA). It is a replacement for the old H/LJQ-382 and is made using gallium nitride technology. It has 3000 transceivers at 50 W each — a total power of 150 kW.

What it sees:

- Bomber — at 350 km,

- Fighter — at 200 km,

- Missile — at 50 km.

It can simultaneously track up to 100 targets and engage 18 of them — twice as many as before.

Below it are X-band radars that pick up low-flying targets and ships at a distance of up to 40 km. And fixed L-band antennas likely help guide the 100-mm gun.

China plans that by 2030–2040, there will be no less than 50 URO frigates in the combat strength of the PLAN. Project 054V is not the end, but a test platform: Chinese engineers will collect data for 10 years to build frigates of the next generation already in the 2030s on this basis.

Interestingly, Chinese analysts separately highlight the Russian "Admiral Gorshkov" (project 22350). With a displacement of 4500 tons, it is "packed to the gills," but does not leave room for modernization. While 054V has a margin of strength and space, which is critical for the future.