The last time a German tank received the name "Panther" was in the 1940s, during World War II, and Rheinmetall-Borsig, the predecessor of the developer and the current novelty, developed weapons for it.
At the international exhibition Eurosatory 2022, which takes place from June 13 to 17 in Paris, a new main battle tank from Rheinmetall — KF51 Panther was officially presented . KF means "Kettenfahrzeug" (tracked vehicle). There is not much specific information about the new product: there is no data on the contracts concluded, the parameters of the armor and the armor penetration of the car.
Nevertheless, the general description of the tank from the manufacturer seriously resembles another main tank introduced a few years ago in a completely different country. Despite this, in a special brochure dedicated to the new Panther, Rheinmetall considers it a game-changing factor.
Promotional video of the new tank / ©Rheinmetall
The key feature of the new tank is called the 130-millimeter cannon. For the first time for German (and indeed serious Western) tanks, we are talking about a caliber of more than 120 millimeters. Previously, the most powerful Western gun was the Rheinmetall Rh-120 (with a barrel length of 55 calibers), standing on the Leopard-2 and Abrams (licensed version). The new 130-millimeter gun was formally presented at Eurosatory in 2016, in response to the appearance of data on the Russian Armata tank. The latter is armed with a 2A82 cannon, the firing energy of which is 17% higher than that of the Rheinmetall Rh-120/L55.
In addition, the Russian cannon is equipped with a full-fledged automatic loader, which is absent on serial modern German and American tanks (32 shells are loaded into its automatic). But the new German 130-millimeter gun exceeds the energy of the Rh-120 / L55 by 50% — that is, about 30% more powerful than the Russian 2A82. The weight of the 130-millimeter cannon (with auxiliary systems) is 3000 kilograms, and the 2A82 is 2700 kilograms. For the first time for the German tank-building, the gun has a full-fledged automatic loader, where 20 shells are loaded (after their completion, the rest of the ammunition must be loaded into the machine manually).
Photos from the Eurosatory 2022 exhibition. The launch of the HERO 120 kamikaze drone on a new type of tank. Each such drone can fly for up to 60 minutes at a distance of up to 40 kilometers from the tank that launched it. The mass of the warhead of the UAV is 3.5 kilograms, it can hit armored vehicles and dug-in enemy firing points
Image Source: Rheinmetall
Unlike the Armata, the Panther KF51 has a 12.7 mm machine gun paired with a cannon. The Russian tank is equipped with a 7.62 mm machine gun in a separate mobile automated installation above the main part of the tower.
The German manufacturer mentions that it is possible to install auxiliary remotely controlled weapons on his car. Specifically, in a copy at the exhibition, this is a 7.62 mm machine gun. It is also mentioned that a system for launching a kamikaze HERO 120 attack drone can be integrated into the tower.
The uninhabited tower of the T-14 tank on the Armata platform
Image Source: Wikimeda Commoms
The tank has not only passive protection (armor), but also reactive (probably dynamic armor integrated into the body, like the "Armata"), as well as some "active protection". Moreover, the latter can be used against armor-piercing shells.
Most likely, we are talking about some kind of "shock core" analogue. Probably, this is a variation on the theme of "Afganita" — a complex of active protection of "Armata", capable, among other things, of shooting down enemy sub-caliber shells flying to the tank in the air.
Since the tank has automated loading, its base crew is three people, although Rheinmetall notes the possibility of finding a fourth person — for example, to control an onboard drone.
View from one of the workplaces of the crew of the Panther KF51 tank
Image Source: Rheinmetall
According to information from the company, the weight of the tank is 59 tons, the power reserve at one gas station is 500 kilometers. That is, it is six tons heavier than its Russian counterpart, but has the same power reserve.
The developer company claims that the KF51 is the first representative of a new generation of combat vehicles. However, from its description it is extremely difficult to understand exactly what features of the Panther KF51 tank the Armata does not have. However, there are differences between them: if the Russian tank has an uninhabited tower (which is noticeable by its small size), and the crew is in a separate compartment behind the frontal armor plate, then the German car has a conventional layout and standard crew accommodation with an inhabited tower, known since the First World War.
