Image source: topwar.ru
The German defense company Rheinmetall presented a new generation KF-51U Panther tank at the Eurosatory-2024 exhibition, which, according to the developers, should replace the Leopard-2 MBT in the future.
It is known that the feature of the novelty is a completely uninhabited tower and a 130 mm smoothbore cannon, which surpasses traditional 120 mm guns in firing range and firepower.
The crew of the KF-51U, including the commander and gunner, is housed in a special compartment of the platform. At the same time, both of the above-mentioned crew members can use independent day and night vision optics with built-in laser rangefinders. The gunner uses modern SEOSS 400 optics, which is also installed in the commander's MSSA. This configuration allows the commander and the gunner to observe targets and hit them independently of each other. In addition, situational awareness is significantly enhanced by small airborne reconnaissance drones.
Image source: topwar.ru
The electrically powered tower houses a fire control system, C4I (communication) equipment and various sensor system components, including a metrological sensor. At the same time, the situational awareness system (SAS) provides the crew with excellent response speed on the battlefield.
The main armament of the KF-51U is a 130 mm Rheinmetall cannon with a barrel length of 51 caliber. Ammunition is supplied using an automatic loader from two magazines located at the rear of the tower, with a total ammunition supply of 25 shells.
According to the German company, the new main gun of the KF-51U tank marks significant progress in tank armament, designed to counter the growing threats from modern armored vehicles. This smoothbore gun, designated as the 130mm/L51, has superior firepower and lethality compared to the existing 120mm L55/L55A1 guns.
Image source: topwar.ru
In addition to the cannon, the turret is equipped with a 50 mm twin machine gun. In addition, the developers installed a Rheinmetall RMG762 machine gun with three rotating barrels on the tank, which ensures continuous operation even if one barrel overheats, as well as a smoke grenade launcher.
In addition to the modernization of weapons, the designers also took care of the security of the promising tank. Thus, the KF-51U received active Rheinmetall Active Protection System (APS), as well as passive MUSS and ROSY rapid obscurant system protection.