KF51 Panther
At one time it seemed that Ukraine would be the launch customer for Rheinmetall new KF51 Panther. But it seems that anti-Russian Ukraine was outbid by pro-Russian Hungary. Nothing personal - just business.
In February 2023, it was reported that Rheinmetall was negotiating with Kiev to build a plant in Ukraine that would be able to produce up to 400 of the latest Panther tanks per year. CEORheinmetall Papperger said in an interview with Spiegel.published on 04 March 2023, the production of Panther tanks at a plant in Ukraine could begin "in 15-20 months."
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall plans to launch its plant in Ukraine in 2024. The first samples of the weapon will appear six months after the start of production. This was announced 02 December 2023 by the company’s CEO Armin Papperger, WirtschaftsWoche reported, in an article which did not mention Panther tanks. The production of Panther tanks is not currently being considered. According to him, a contract is to be signed with Ukraine for the production of Fuchs armored personnel carriers and Lynx infantry fighting vehicles by early 2024.
“After signing the contract, we want the first wheeled vehicle to be ready in Ukraine in about six to seven months, and the first Lynx in twelve to thirteen months,” he said. The company also plans to produce Fuchs in Ukraine from the end of summer 2024, and Lynx may appear as early as summer 2025.
On 18 August 2023, a plant of the German Rheinmetall arms concern was officially opened in the city of Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. The Rheinmetall plant, which the concern calls "Europe's most advanced plant for armoured vehicles", will produce the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle, "the most advanced IFV in the world". The plant covers 33 hectares and contains a modern research centre. It already employs hundreds of workers and plans to create another 350 new jobs over the next few years, Rheinmetall said.
At that time, it was reported tjat Rheinmetall was in the process of establishing a company in Ukraine together with the Ukrainian state-owned company Ukroboronprom, and will have a majority stake in it. Ammunition, armoured vehicles, as well as Panther main battle tanks will be made on the production line in Ukraine. As late as 28 September 2023 it was reported that Rheinmetall planned to produce ammunition, armored vehicles and Panther battle tanks in Ukraine.
Hungary could become the first country to receive the new German Panther tank. What's more, Hungary is likely to manufacture tanks on its own territory, according to Handelsblatt 28 September 2023. According to the article, a fundamental agreement has been reached between the corporation and the Hungarian government that the Panther KF51 tank will be produced in cooperation with Hungary at the Rheinmetall plant on Hungarian territory.
The Hungarian government joined forces with Rheinmetall to develop the Panther KF51 through to production maturity. A contract to this effect was signed in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary 25 December 2023. The development contract was worth around €288 million. A demonstrator vehicle will be constructed and qualified, paving the way to full-scale production. Rheinmetall is cooperating in the project with the state-owned Hungarian holding company N7, which also holds a 49 percent stake in the joint venture Rheinmetall Hungary. “We’re delighted to have reached another important milestone on the path to producing next-generation fighting vehicles in Hungary”, declares Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall.
Unlike the system demonstrator on show at Eurosatory, the Panther KF51 EVO will be armed with Rheinmetall’s tried-and-tested L55A1 120mm smoothbore gun, which also features in the latest variants of the Leopard 2. This will ensure logistical homogeneity with Hungary’s existing fleet of Leopard 2 tanks. Nevertheless, the Panther KF51 EVO will already be equipped with an autoloader.
Rheinmetall debuted its new KF51 Panther at Eurosatory 2022. The latest member of Rheinmetall's family of tracked vehicles (KF is short for "Kettenfahrzeug", i.e., tracked vehicle), the KF51 Panther is destined to be game changer on the battlefields of the future. The main battle tank concept sets new standards in all areas – lethality, protection, reconnaissance, networking and mobility. Rheinmetall unveiled the vehicle at a ceremony on Monday, 13 June 2022 at 14:00 at Stand F241-240.
The panther (Puma concolor), also known as mountain lion, cougar, painter, puma, and catamount, is the largest feline animal in North America. The panther belongs to the family Felidae (cat family) which is in the order Carnivora. Black panthers are most often used to describe black-coated leopards (Panthera pardus) of Africa and Asia, and jaguars (P. onca) of Central and South America. Black panthers mainly live in the hot, dense tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia, such as Southwestern China, Burma, Nepal, Southern India, Indonesia, and the southern part of Malaysia. This powerful predator ranges from 5 to 8 ½ feet in total length and weighs from 70 to 250 pounds, with males being bigger than females.
The Panther tank (Pzkw V) was perhaps the best armored vehicle produced by Germany during the Second World War. In late 1944 and 1945, the Panther played an important role in Germany’s desperate efforts to stem the Allied advance on the Western Front. The Panther was a key element in the Wehrmacht’s defensive tactics, in rearguard actions and counterattacks, and it took a prominent part in the last German offensive of the war, in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge.
By late Summer 1941, German army leaders realized they had a problem. Their best tank, the Mark IV, was inferior to the Russian T-34 tank. The Germans were quick to identify this problem; in a great display of procurement, development and fielding, the Mark V “Panther” tank rolled into battle on the Eastern Front battlefields. This was within only 18 months of the problem being identified. The German firm Rheinmetall-Borsig was awarded the contract to produce the turret that housed the 75mm gun. The two leading German firms competing to produce the chassis for the Panther were Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg (MAN) AG and Daimler-Benz. Each took different approaches in designing their version of the Panther.
Unfortunately, MAN’s design team simply built an overcomplicated and too-sophisticated tank for what was needed at the front. The tactical mobility compromise of using large, overlapping wheels (such as was done on the German WWII Panther tank imposed severe mechanical problems and performance difficulties in heavy soils which pack into the interleaved suspension element. Instead of taking the time to fully field, refine and train new Panther crews, the tank was rushed into production and deployed without the proper field trials. Panther’s baptism by fire at the Battle of Kursk was fraught with disaster.
But the tremendous qualities the tank possessed throughout the rest of the war included its high-velocity 75mm main gun, excellent gunner’s optics, easy track maintenance and heavy frontal slope armor adding to its impressive survivability record.
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