HUNGARY: The panther is ready to pounce.

Rheinmetall has been commissioned by the Hungarian government to develop the Panther KF51 to series production. A corresponding contract has now been signed in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. The development contract is worth around 288 million EUR. The work includes the construction and qualification of a demonstrator to prepare for series production. Rheinmetall is collaborating on the project with the Hungarian state-owned holding company N7, which also holds a 49 percent stake in the joint venture Rheinmetall Hungary.

“We are pleased that we can once again set a milestone for the next generation of combat vehicles with Hungary,” said Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG. “The Panther KF51 is the most modern battle tank in the world. It sets new standards for the combat power of mechanized units and offers a high degree of future viability. At the same time, we are strengthening our joint venture Rheinmetall Hungary and, in a proven manner, supporting the security and defense industry of our partners.”

With this significant step, the country becomes Rheinmetall's partner in the development and series production maturity of the latest generation battle tank. Rheinmetall first presented the concept at the Eurosatory trade fair in 2022 to the global public. Unlike the system demonstrator shown in Paris at the fair, the Panther KF51 EVO will carry the proven 120mm Rheinmetall smoothbore gun L55A1, which is also installed in the latest Leopard 2 variants. This is intended to ensure logistical compatibility with the Hungarian Leopard 2 fleet. However, the Panther KF51 EVO will already have an auto loader. Furthermore, the turret architecture will allow for the retrofitting of the Rheinmetall 130mm gun in the future.

The Panther KF51 is characterized by a high degree of digitalization and connectivity. New protection technologies such as the stand-off active protection system StrikeShield will enable a low overall weight in the future. The recovery vehicle the Bergepanzer Büffel from Rheinmetall is used as the basis for the chassis. This, in combination with the low overall weight, contributes on the one hand to the high mobility of the Panther KF51, and on the other hand, synergy effects with the Leopard 2 family arise in terms of logistics, maintenance, and training.

The crew of the Panther KF51 consists of three soldiers: commander, gunner, and driver. A fourth position - in the front left of the hull - is intended for a subsystem operator. From there, for example, the company commander or battalion commander can lead their forces.

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