Korea is most likely PLA's next landwar. That's why 300,000 troops are deployed to Yalu River including China's best tanks Type 99 was seen driving towards Yalu border so how can you say K2 Panthers are least likely adversary?
Whilst the K2 is perhaps not the least likely adversary, it would be an unlikely adversary. Both China, SK and NK have motives to maintain stability. China and SK would in the case of a conflict want to limit the scale of the conflict. In the interest of maintaining stability of the region, it is highly unlikely for China and SK to come into direct conflict. The most likely scenario for a K2 and Type-99 engagement would be Blue on Green and Green on Blue incidents IMO. However, only time will tell if things change. I doubt that in a Korean peninsula conflict that Type 99s will ever be sent out specifically and intentionally to hunt K2s and vice-versa.Korea is most likely PLA's next landwar. That's why 300,000 troops are deployed to Yalu River including China's best tanks Type 99 was seen driving towards Yalu border so how can you say K2 Panthers are least likely adversary?
Whilst the K2 is perhaps not the least likely adversary, it would be an unlikely adversary. Both China, SK and NK have motives to maintain stability. China and SK would in the case of a conflict want to limit the scale of the conflict. In the interest of maintaining stability of the region, it is highly unlikely for China and SK to come into direct conflict. The most likely scenario for a K2 and Type-99 engagement would be Blue on Green and Green on Blue incidents IMO. However, only time will tell if things change. I doubt that in a Korean peninsula conflict that Type 99s will ever be sent out specifically and intentionally to hunt K2s and vice-versa.
Also, are you aware if the 300K troops are still there? There have been multiple instances of tension in the past and to demonstrate Beijing's disapproval, troops and equipment have been deployed to the border region and withdrawn at a later date.
No "what if" discussion about war, particularly nuclear war, between China and other nations, or between any nations
Korean army specifically practices against MBT's like Type 99 and T-90S.
They don't even practice against North Korean MBT, they train against Chinese/Russian tanks because NK MBTs are so aged and obsolete, it's not much rigor to training against them.
We can hypothesize all we want but in reality, South Korean tanks train against Chinese and Russian tanks as Red targets.
There is really no such thing as "training specifically against a specific type of tank", because it practical reality all tanks fight in pretty much the same way And as the old saying goes : "There is no such thing as overkill". If a military can have the option to totally dominate the opposing side, it has every reason to do so in view of negating its own losses.Korean army specifically practices against MBT's like Type 99 and T-90S because K1 is Overkill for NK MBTs and K2 is over-overkill for NK MBTs.
They don't even practice against North Korean MBT, they train against Chinese/Russian tanks because NK MBTs are so aged and obsolete, it's not much rigor to training against them. (NK tanks can't pen frontal armor of K1s)
We can hypothesize all we want but in reality, South Korean tanks train against Chinese and Russian tanks as Red targets. They even designed and procured K2 to specifically counter Type 99 and T-90S, because K2 is way Overkill for NK MBTs. K1s were already Overkill for NK MBT.
K1 series which often dubbed the baby Abrams.