Panther KF51

Panther KF51
Rheinmetall Panther KF51
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	Not yet in service
Production history
Designer	Rheinmetall (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann)
Designed	Commenced 2016
Specifications (Hull)
Mass	59 ton
Length	7,8 m
length	10 m (with tank gun)
Width	3.7 m
Height	2.5 m
Crew	3–4 Commander (turret) Gunner (turret) Driver (hull) Additional crew member (hull)
Armour	Armour plating (with spaced armour), reactive armour, active protection (StrikeShield)
Main armament	Rh-130 L/52 130 mm smoothbore cannon (up to 20 rounds)[1]
Secondary armament	12.7 mm coaxial machine gun (250 rounds), 7.62 mm 'Natter' RCWS (2,500 rounds)[1]
Engine	MTU MB 873 Ka-501 V-12 water-cooled diesel 1 500 hp
Power/weight	25 hp/t
Transmission	Renk HSWL 354
Suspension	Torsion bar
Fuel capacity	1,100 L (242 imp gal; 291 US gal)

The Panther KF51 (KF is short for German "Kettenfahrzeug" lit. 'tracked vehicle') is a German fourth-generation main battle tank (MBT) that is under development by Rheinmetall Landsysteme (part of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems division). It was unveiled publicly at the Eurosatory defence exhibition on 13 June 2022.^[2][3]

The KF51 is based on the hull of the Leopard 2A4,^[4] but with a new turret mounting an autoloaded 130 mm main gun.^[4] On 5 December 2022, Rheinmetall announced its plans to target mostly existing Leopard 2 operators with the KF51.^[5]

Rheinmetall began the development of major subsystems for the Panther in 2016, with system-level design commencing in 2018. The Panther was developed as a private venture by Rheinmetall to demonstrate by 2026^[4] the potential for increasing the lethality, mobility, survivability, and networking capabilities of MBTs without incurring a significant increase in weight. To reduce the weight of the Leopard 2A4 platform on which the development vehicle was based, Rheinmetall prioritised active over passive protection.^[4]

Further developments under consideration for the vehicle include measures to make it more environmentally friendly during peacetime operations; the installation of a more powerful and more efficient engine; the integration of AI into the fire control system for automated target detection and identification; mounting an unmanned turret on the vehicle; and the creation of an unmanned version of the Panther. Efforts to make the tank more environmentally friendly could result in an alternative hull being developed for the Panther.^[4]

In August 2023, Viktor Orban announced in a TikTok^[6] video that the Hungarian government would join in the development of the KF51. He stated, "We are producing Lynxes, purchasing Leopards, and participating in the development of the Panther."^[7] According to some news agencies, the Hungarian government was planning to invest €300 million into the development and production of the KF51 Panther tank.^[8] According to Armin Papperger, the CEO of Rheinmetall AG, the development contract was signed with the Hungarian government in early September 2023,^[9] with production of the KF51 Panther possibly planned in the newly constructed Rheinmetall factory in Zalaegerszeg.

On 15 December 2023, Rheinmetall announced that the company had signed a contract worth €288 million with the Hungarian government to develop the Panther KF51 EVO variant with the 120 mm L/55A1 cannon and a hull based on the Bergepanzer 3 chassis.^[10]

On 3 July 2024, Rheinmetall and Leonardo announced they would establish a joint venture to produce KF51 tanks and Lynx IFVs as apart of the Italian Army's Main Battle Tank (MBT) and Armoured Infantry Combat System (AICS) programs. The joint venture would also assist in defining a roadmap for future involvement of both companies in the Main Ground Combat System project.^[11]

In February 2023, Rheinmetall revealed they were in talks with Ukraine to supply KF51s (and Lynx IFVs) to Ukrainian army.^[12][13] Rheinmetall's CEO Armin Papperger said that a new factory could be built in the country (with Rheinmetall estimating the cost of constructing a Ukrainian plant to be around €200 million) and the first delivery could be in 15 to 18 months, producing annually up to 400 Panther tanks.^[14] The plant would also need to be protected against air attacks from the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[15] Experts have questioned this plan for unrealistically high production rates and insufficient investment for what is essentially still a concept weapon.^[16]

In October 2023, a joint venture was signed between Rheinmetall and Ukroboronprom to establish an armoured vehicle repair and construction facility first to produce Fuchs vehicles within 6–7 months and Lynx IFVs within 12–13 months,^[17] with production of Panther KF51 to begin afterwards.^[18] It was unclear if that would be the same KF51 EVO version as to be developed in Hungary, or a new derivative variant.

The KF51 is based on the hull of the Leopard 2A4 and thus has a conventional MBT layout, with the driver at the front, the turret in the middle and the engine at the rear. The driver is seated in the front right of the hull and is provided with a single-piece hatch above their position in the roof of the glacis plate. A separate crew station can be provided in the left front of the hull for either a dedicated systems operator or a unit commander. Colour cameras for the driver are installed in the centre of the front and rear of the hull.^[4] Should the KF51 enter production, a new hull would be designed by Rheinmetall.^[4]

Where the design of the KF51 departs from that of the preceding generation of Western MBTs is by the introduction of a new two-person turret fitted with an autoloaded main gun. The rear of the turret houses the magazines for the main gun's automatic loader and pods for loitering munitions if these have been equipped. There are housings for cameras on all four corners of the turret and in the middle of each side of the turret.^[1]

The Panther has a combat weight of 59 tonnes, making it lighter than most Western MBTs developed prior to 2022. The engine, tracks and most of the running gear of the vehicle are also believed to have been derived from those of the Leopard 2A4. The Leopard 2A4's motor is an MTU MB 873 Ka-501 water-cooled V12 diesel engine producing 1,479 hp at 2,600 rpm, coupled to a Renk HSWL 354 four-speed automatic transmission. The running gear of Leopard 2A4 consists of seven dual-tired rubber road wheels and four rubber-tired offset track return rollers on each side, with the idler at the front and the drive sprocket at the rear. The road wheels are supported by torsion bar suspension with advanced friction dampers. The first, second, third, sixth, and seventh road wheels feature advanced friction dampers and hydraulic bump stops to dampen oscillations, with the fourth and fifth fitted with solid bump stops.

The KF51 is fitted with an 82-link Defence Service Tracks 570F track of 635 mm width with rubber-bushed end connectors on each side. The Panther's maximum speed has not been disclosed, but it has a maximum range of 500 km.^[4]

The KF51 Panther is stated to have three layers of protection: passive, reactive and active. The innermost layer consists of all-welded steel armour covered by passive armour modules. The second layer comprises sensor-based reactive armour, while the final layer consists of Rheinmetall's StrikeShield active defence system (ADS) that Rheinmetall claims is capable of protecting against kinetic energy projectiles (KEPs) and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). It is possible to mount the ADS on both the hull and the turret.^{[19][20][21][22]}

The Panther is fitted with eight Rheinmetall Rapid Obscuring System (ROSY) smoke grenade launchers mounted in staggered rows of two behind the central camera housing on each side of the turret. It is possible to integrate sensors into the Panther that can detect the launch signature of ATGMs and anti-tank missiles and cue the crew towards the threat.

The Panther can be fitted with Rheinmetall's Top Attack Protection System (TAPS), comprising a hard-kill element of extending the coverage of the ADS to the roof of the vehicle for protection against ATGMs and unguided anti-tank rockets launched from higher elevations, as well as a soft-kill element for protection against threats such as loitering munitions.^[4]

The primary armament of the KF51 is a stabilised Rheinmetall Rh-130 L/52 130 mm smoothbore cannon that can be elevated from −9˚ to +20˚. Rheinmetall claims that this is capable of delivering between 18 and 20 megajoules (13,000,000 and 15,000,000 foot-pounds force) of energy onto a target and has a 50% longer effective range than Rheinmetall's 120 mm tank guns. The Rh-130 can fire armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) ammunition, programmable air burst high-explosive (HE) rounds and practice projectiles.^[4]

The main gun is fed by an autoloader that consists of two conveyor-based magazines with a capacity of ten rounds each. During a test firing in April 2022, the Rh-130 mounted on a test rig was able to fire three rounds in 16 seconds, though this included the time to perform safety checks. Two hatches are located in the turret sides to allow the autoloader's magazines to be replenished within five minutes. An option is available to carry an additional 10 rounds on the back of the vehicle outside of the hull and turret.^[4]

The secondary armament consists of a coaxially mounted 12.7 mm machine gun. Rheinmetall's 'Natter' remote controlled weapon station (RCWS) with a 7.62 mm machine gun (can be elevated from −15˚ to +85˚ and can carry 2,500 rounds of ammunition) can be mounted on the rear of the turret roof to provide close-in defence and a counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capability. The KF51 can be also equipped with the HERO 120 loitering munition system.^[1]

In June 2024, Rheinmetall presented the KF51-U at the Eurosatory defence fair. This is a Panther with an unmanned turret. The only three operators required for this tank sit in the hull just in front of the turret. The ammunition for the main weapon is fed via the autoloader from two magazines in the rear of the turret, with ammunition supply in the tank consisting of 25 rounds. As secondary armament, the KF51-U has a coaxial 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.^[23][24]

Introduced in June 2024, this variant combines the Panther KF51 turret with the Leopard 2A4 chassis. It is armed with Rheinmetall's 130 mm Future Gun System (FGS) cannon, a 12.7 mm coaxial machine gun and a 'Natter' RCWS equipped with a 7.62 mm machine gun.^[25]

The variant to be built in Hungary, with the 120 mm L/55A1 cannon (found also on the Leopard 2A7HU tank) and a hull derived from the Bergepanzer 3 'Büffel' chassis.^[10]

• Main Ground Combat System

• "A new tank for a new era" (Press release). Rheinmetall. 13 June 2022.
• Panther KF51 brochure