Germany’s Rheinmetall has unveiled its first new battle tank since the 1970s the KF51 Panther
It is the successor to the Cold War origin Leopard and Leopard II tank.
Rheinmetall has been speculated to be working on a new tank since at least 2014-15.
The project gained urgency after Russia showcased the T-14 Armata next-generation tank.
Like the T-14, the Panther threatens to disrupt the status quo in the West and Russia where
conservative investments on both sides have meant no party is willing to invest heavily
in a new 21st-century design in order to reduce expenses.
Rheinmetall states that number of design innovations
in the KF51 address the weaknesses of current tanks.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes what makes Rheinmetall KF51 Panther Main
Battle a formidable platform? Let's get into the details.
The tank has greater strategic and tactical mobility than existing Western designs.
Its weight of just 59 tonnes means it is much lighter than Leopard 2
66.5 tonnes and Abrams M1A2 66.8 tonnes. The reduced weight will make it easier
to transport to the theatre of war where it is needed.
Panther also fits the tunnel profile AMovP-4L
without preparation: a requirement that no current MBT fulfills.
Conformation to NATO's AMovP-4L profile means it can navigate roads, bridges,
and tunnels that may not be accessible to larger tanks.
It has a range of around 500 km or 310 miles.
The tank features a new main cannon.
Where 125mm guns arm most modern Russian, Chinese and North Korean tanks,
with the T-14 expected to integrate a 152mm gun in the future, the Panther has been up-gunned
from the NATO standard 120mm to a 130 mm gun - the Rheinmetall Future Gun System.
The Panther’s gun has been marketed as being “more than 50 percent more
effective” than the Leopard 2’s and offering a “much longer range,” while being able to fire
both kinetic energy saboted projectiles and a range of programmable explosive ammunition types.
It also has a 12.7mm coaxial machine gun.
An optional remote-controlled weapons station will allow it to deploy loitering ammunition, drones,
missiles and possibly even defensive anti-aircraft weapons depending on how the tank is configured.
The optional HERO 120 loitering ammunition capability expands the Panther’s strike capability
to non-line-of-sight targets and can be mounted depending on role and mission requirements.
HERO 120 carries a 4.5 kg or 10 lbs warhead, has an endurance of 60 minutes
and a range of 60 km or 37 miles.
The Panther is designed to control assigned unmanned aerial vehicles such as on-board
or off-board drones, loitering ammunition and a range of uncrewed ground vehicles.
As per Rheinmetall, all weapons are connected with targeting sights
and the fire control computer through the fully digitized architecture, allowing for hunter-killer
and killer-killer operation, seamless target engagements and future AI decision support.
The Panther benefits from greater protection than
the latest Leopard II variants without compromising its weight
It integrates a Top Attack Protection System (TAPS), the ROSY smoke/obscurant system,
and digital NGVA architecture facilitating the employment of sensors to detect launch signatures
and thus better respond to threats.
The top Attack Protection System is especially important since most current tanks have
been found to be vulnerable to Top attacks where protection is generally much weaker.
For example, UK Army's next-generation light anti-tank weapon (NLAW)
has a dedicated Top Attack mode.
The Panther further integrates the Rheinmetall StrikeShield active protection system.
StrikeShield Active Protection System is based on the hard-kill principle that
neutralizes ballistic threats before they reach their intended target.
The passive protection comprises ballistic protection, mine protection, IED protection,
fighting compartment protection, transparent protection, signature protection, protection
from shaped charges, spall-liner, stand-alone armor and add-on armor.
The Panther is also fully cyber hardened.
According to Rheinmetall, Panther is a truly software-defined tank
fully enabled to collect and disseminate information on the multi-domain battlefield. Deep
integration of modern BMS and software-defined communication systems enables forces to
operate in collaborative combat environments such as cross-platform sensor-to-shooter links.
This provided exceptional situational awareness.
The fully digitized system and common crew stations
are the enablers for true Human-Machine Teaming and control of wingman UGVs
that cover capabilities such as platoon-level air and drone defense.
The Panther accommodates a crew of three,
supporting future force structures with reduced numbers of soldiers.
Two crew stations are located in the chassis, with one dedicated to the driver
and an optional station dedicated to a company commander, a drone operator or a wingman pilot.
The fully digitized NGVA architecture allows for seamless sensor and effector integration
both within the platform and cross-platform. Sensor and weapon control assignments can be
passed between crew members instantly. Each workstation can hand over and take
over tasks and roles from others with no reduction of functionality providing excellent flexibility.