Panther KF51, video frame. source: social networks
By 2030, about a thousand tanks are planned to be replaced in Europe, half of which are going to be supplied by the largest German military concern Rheinmetall. The concern has already offered its new Panther KF51 (“Panther”) tank to 20 countries.
This was stated in an interview with Handelsblatt by the head of the company Armin Papperger.
According to him, by 2030, about 1 thousand out of 8 thousand main battle tanks will be replaced in Europe.
“With our new Panther, we want to deliver at least half, that is, about 500 units,” he said.
Rheinmetall presented Panther KF51 in June at the Eurosatory 2022 international exhibition. It is equipped with a fully automatic ammunition supply system with 20 rounds of ammunition, a 130 mm cannon, as well as a 12.7 mm machine gun. The Panther KF51 has air threat prevention and smoke protection systems. Its weight is 59 tons and it is much more mobile than existing analogues.
The German publication Stern called the new Rheinmetall tank “the first response of the West” to the Russian T-14 Armata.