MOSCOW, Feb 15 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. The West continues to turn Ukraine into a testing ground for advanced weapons. According to German media, the Rheinmetall defense concern is negotiating the supply of promising KF51 Panther tanks. The corporation has far-reaching plans, but difficulties are possible.
It's too early to discuss
Officially, nothing was reported in Berlin. However, the Handelsblatt newspaper claims that the chairman of Rheinmetall AG Armin Papperger is personally involved in the negotiations. In an interview with the publication, he stressed that we are talking not only about the Panthers, but also about infantry fighting vehicles of the Lynx KF41 family. It all depends on the terms of the contract, which, if signed, they want to implement in the next year and a half.
According to him, the first step is to establish production. So far there are only a few prototypes. The series is always launched slowly, with modifications.
Probably, they will build a new plant — in Germany or Hungary.
German Panther KF51 main battle tank Image Source: CC BY-SA 4.0 / Rheinmetall Defence /
Papperger allows assembly in Ukraine as well. This requires the approval of the German government. If everything succeeds, "the rules on the battlefields will change," he is sure.
The Bundeswehr is also interested in the deal — the military will see the new "Panthers" in real combat and will be able to quickly identify "childhood diseases". And then to establish exports around the world.
But at the moment, all this is very far from reality. After all, even "Leopards-2" has not yet been transferred.
Based on the "seven"
The prototype of the KF51 was presented last year in Paris at the international exhibition Eurosatory 2022. German gunsmiths named the new car in honor of the medium tank PzKpw V Panther during World War II.
The Leopard 2A7 served as the basis. The Panther inherited the design of the tower and several elements of the hull. But it weighs three tons less — 59.
Promising German tank KF51 Panther Image source: © Rheinmetall
The main advantage is the 130—millimeter Future Gun System (FGS) cannon with a built-in automatic loader (ammunition in the charger is 20 shells). Rheinmetall claims that this gun is 50 percent more powerful than the standard 120-millimeter, which NATO countries are armed with. The FGS is capable of firing both armor-piercing sub-caliber shells and high-explosive fragmentation shells, with the option of a programmable explosion in flight. The range is about five kilometers.
Auxiliary armament is a 12.7—mm heavy machine gun paired with a cannon and a 7.62-mm remote-controlled machine gun. In addition, HERO 120 Loitering barrage bombs can be shot from the tower. Each of these kamikaze drones carries a high-explosive or cumulative warhead weighing 3.5 kilograms. The range is up to 40 kilometers, which will allow the crew to destroy targets outside the line of sight. Also included are two reconnaissance quadrocopters in special compartments on the roof.
Little is known about the protection of the tank yet. There is not only passive, but also dynamic armor. And the Advanced Modular Armor Protection (AMAP) complex is a modular design of 600 kilograms that shoots bombs with controlled detonation. Two groups of sensors determine the trajectory, speed and type of the attacking projectile. What to do with the goal is decided by the on-board computer.
Of course, the Panther is stuffed with the most modern electronics. A multi—channel sight with a thermal imaging channel and a laser rangefinder in the frontal part of the tower - like the Leopard-2. For the tank commander — a panoramic surveillance device that helps to detect and identify targets, to fire. They also implemented the "hunter — shooter" principle, when one crew member marks the target and the other strikes.
Tank Zoo
The AFU now has several types of main battle tanks — T-64, T-72, T-80 and captured T-90. Soon the park will be replenished with British Challenger 2, German Leopards, Polish PT-91 Twardy and American Abrams.
APU tanks in eastern Ukraine Image source: CC BY 2.0 / Ministry of Defense of Ukraine / Tanks on the march
If the newest "Panthers" appear, then the already difficult work of repairmen will become more complicated. Such a "zoo" is very difficult to maintain — after all, everyone needs their own spare parts. And it is more difficult to prepare enough crews for five types of armored vehicles than for one.
The situation is increasingly reminiscent of a bad joke. The possibility of sending their own MBT is being discussed in France and Italy — then another AMX-56 Leclerc and C1 Ariete will be added. For the "full NATO kit", only the Turkish Altay MBT is missing.
"Tanks will not become a magic wand for Ukraine," Michael Kofman, director of research programs on Russia at the US Naval Research Center, is sure. — Even such powerful weapons as the HIMARS long-range multiple rocket launcher systems have lost their special significance. Usually, weapons produce the greatest effect when first used in a particular conflict. And thousands of tanks have already been destroyed in Ukraine. I don't believe that Western models are so superior to Russian ones to change the overall situation."
While Western countries are coordinating the delivery dates of heavy armored vehicles and specifying their volumes, Russia is actively increasing production. According to the Ministry of Defense, echelons with new T-90M, T-80BVM and T-72B3M regularly go to the front. Perhaps they have worse communication and surveillance devices than on Western cars. However, the main thing in a conflict of this type is mass character.
