German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall wants to supply Ukraine with its latest tank models, including the Panther KF51 main battle tank, CEO Armin Papperger told the Handelsblatt newspaper on Thursday.

“Ukraine is interested in Rys and Panther – the most modern infantry fighting vehicles and battle tanks,” he said, adding that negotiations with Kyiv had already taken place.

The German government will have to approve any export of Panther tanks, which were developed in Germany, German media reported.

What are Panther KF51 tanks

According to arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, the Panther KF51 tank, which was first introduced in 2022, is based on some of the latest technology, designed from the ground up to be more lethal on the battlefield, combined with an integrated survivability concept and fully digitized communications. NGVA’s central data network to provide state-of-the-art operational capabilities and automation.

This allows for a reduced crew size, paving the way for unmanned turret and man-machine team options.

The manufacturer claims the Panther fulfills its core “dominate and destroy” capability with the Rheinmetall Future Gun System, which consists of a 130 mm gun, a fully automated ammunition handling system and additional armament options for HERO kamikaze 120 unmanned aerial vehicles.

Thus, the Panther KF51 has concentrated firepower for long-range strikes in multi-target engagements.

The Future Gun System, developed by Rheinmetall, provides a 50% longer firing range (over 120 mm) with an unmatched rate of fire thanks to the performance of automatic loading.

All weapons are connected to the sights and fire control computer through a fully digitized architecture, allowing both hunter-killer and killer-killer operation.

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