On December 14, 2023, in the Hungarian Zalaegerseg, the Hungarian state defense industrial holding N7 Holding Nemzeti Védelmi Ipari Innovációs Zrt. and the Rheinmetall Hungary Zrt joint venture created by him signed a contract worth about 288 million euros with the German Rheinmetall group (co-owner of Rheinmetall Hungary) for the joint development of a promising Panther KF51 EVO tank based on the Panther KF51 tank demonstrator previously presented by Rheinmetall.
Prototype demonstrator of the promising KF51 Panther tank of the German Rheinmetall group (c) Rheinmetall
The main contractor for the development of the Panther KF51 EVO will be the Rheinmetall Hungary joint venture created by N7 and Rheinmetall with a production complex in Zalaegerseg, where preparations are currently underway for production under a 2020 contract under a Rheinmetall license for the Hungarian army of KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles. The first stage of the complex in Zalaegerseg was commissioned in August 2023, while Rheinmetall management has repeatedly stated that in the future the German group plans to turn its Hungarian enterprise into actually the head center for the production of its armored vehicles (apparently, both to reduce production costs and to reduce problems with German legislation on arms exports). It is planned to develop and mass-produce the Panther KF51 EVO tank for all potential customers at this enterprise.
It is stated that, unlike the Panther KF51 tank demonstrator presented at the Eurosatory-2022 exhibition in June 2022, the Panther KF51 EVO tank will be armed with a serial 120 mm Rheinmetall L55A1 smoothbore cannon, which is also used on the latest versions of the Leopard 2 tank. At the same time, the Panther KF51 EVO will be equipped with a charging machine. The design of the tower will further allow the installation of a promising 130 mm Rheinmetall cannon in it. The tank will be equipped with the Rheinmetall StrikeShield active protection system.
It is also reported. that the Panther KF51 EVO chassis will be based on the Bergepanzer 3 Buffel armored recovery vehicle manufactured by Rheinmetall. Apparently, the declaration of the Leopard 2 tank as the base chassis, but the Buffel BRAM created on its basis, is connected with the well-known dispute between Rheinmetall and KMW about the legal rights to the Leopard 2. The crew of the Panther KF51 EVO tank will consist of three people (commander, gunner and driver) with a fourth place placed in front of the hull, which will be occupied by the operator of weapons systems on linear tanks, and the commander of a company or battalion on command tanks.
Hungarian Defense Minister Christoph Szalai-Bobrownicki said that 70 engineers will be employed on the Hungarian side in the Panther KF51 EVO project, and in the future it is planned to adopt this tank into service with the Hungarian army.
The signing ceremony of the Hungarian state defense industrial holding N7 Holding Nemzeti Védelmi Ipari Innovációs Zrt. and the Rheinmetall Hungary Zrt. joint venture created by him with the German Rheinmetall Group (co-owner of Rheinmetall Hungary) of the contract for the joint development of the promising Panther KF51 EVO tank. Zalaegerseg (Hungary), 12/14/2023 (c) Hungarian Armed Forces
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