Ukraine: Russian tank blown up after attempt to escape drone
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The KF51 tank has taken on a familiar appellation shared with a Word War 2-era tank of the same name. The battle tank is the first such equipment revealed by Berlin in the last 40 years.
The new Panther tank is equipped with highly modern equipment making it one of the most powerful tanks in the world.
Included in the tank, which cost $1.6billion (£1.3billion) to develop, is a larger main gun than its predecessor, the Leopard 2, a digital computer framework and a full array of defensive features to protect the tank on the battlefield.
Most notable is the counter-attack measures included in the tank, with the ability to deter attacks by anti-tank projectiles aimed at it, including the American-made Javelin missile.
The tank was unveiled by manufacturers, German-based Rheinmetall at the Eurosatory arms show, in Villepinte, on the outskirts of Paris.
Rheinmetall unveiled the tank in grey, black and neon green.
Designed to replace the Leopard 2, the tank was labelled by one media outlet as a “badass” tank.
Kyle Mizokami, a journalist who covered the unveiling said of the Leopard 2: “Unfortunately, like many upgraded systems, eventually there comes a point when it becomes impractical to keep adding new stuff to the old system.
“The only way to move forward is to design something completely new.
“Panther is that new tank.
“It appears to use the basic hull design of the Leopard 2, though the shape of the hull suggests newer, thicker armour along the front and sides.”
The Panther’s turret is also larger than its forerunner, supporting a huge 130mm main gun.
The new gun, named Future Gun System (FGS), is largely in response to the new Russian T-14 Armata tank, which was first unveiled in 2015.
Rheinmetall claims FGS has a “50 percent longer kill range” than the older 120-millimetre guns.
According to Europäische Sicherheit & Technik, the new gun is a 130-millimeter/L52 gun, meaning the barrel length is 52 times the diameter of the barrel.
This comes out to 6,760 millimetres, or 22.1 feet long.
Mr Mizokami commented: “The barrel is also fitted with a futuristic-looking shroud, but it’s not clear how it contributes to the efficiency or effectiveness of the tank.”
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Like its predecessor, the Panther has a self-loading system for the main gun, making it more efficient on the battlefield.
The ability to self-load allows the tank to reduce the minimum crew number to three personnel, making it roomier for operators.
Furthermore, a 12.7mm machine gun is mounted next to the main gun.
The larger calibre allows operators to target softer targets such as trucks, light armoured vehicles, artillery batteries and ground troops.
Other new features include digital cameras giving the crew total visibility around the circumference of the tank.
A second 7.62mm gun can also be operated remotely from within the turret.
This can be used to target both aerial drones and ground personnel.
For more stories like this, follow Express.co.uk Defence and Security Correspondent James Lee on Twitter: @JamesLee_DE
The tank can also launch its own drones for surveillance missions, with the turret armed with four Israeli-made Hero 120 loitering munitions drones, capable of flying for around 60 minutes, allowing the tank to target areas beyond the field of vision available.
The tank is also much lighter than previous tanks, weighing just 59 tonnes, making it faster and more agile than older models used by various nations around the world.
Russia has seen its ageing fleet of tanks reduced to scrap since the start of its so-called “special operation” in Ukraine, with nearly 1,500 units lost.
Germany has also pledged it will create a new central defence unit designed to protect German borders following fears the war in Ukraine could spread into mainland Europe.
Multiple other nations have also increased their national defence portfolios, with Poland and Lithuania both adding to their projectile munitions in recent weeks.
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