It also had an important influence on subsequent tank design.Īnthony Tucker-Jones’ photographic history gives a fascinating insight into its wartime career.Ĭollectors of Panther-related images and photographic material will not be disappointed with this book as it contains a multitude of crisp images that reveal both the strengths and weaknesses of the German medium-heavy tank.
With its sloping armour and a high-velocity 75mm gun, it proved to be a better medium tank than its predecessor the Mk IV, it was more versatile than the heavyweight Tiger and it was superior to most of the Allied tanks it faced. The Panther, the German response, was rapidly conceived and produced under extraordinarily difficult wartime conditions. On the Eastern Front the German army needed to counter the Red Army’s robust and utilitarian T-34 which began to appear in every-growing and eventually decisive numbers.
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Anthony Tucker-Jones, in this comprehensive new study of a remarkable fighting vehicle, uses over 100 archive photographs, along with a selection of colour profiles, to describe its design, development and operational record. Rheinmetall made a point of saying it wants operators, maintainers, logisticians and procurement professionals “of all current and future user nations to play an active role in shaping the vehicle’s future.Along with the Tiger, Sherman and T-34, the Panther ranks as one of the most famous tanks of the Second World War. In fact, the Panther is likely to change its spots quite a bit as it moves forward. Given that the turret and weapons can be controlled from the operator stations in the chassis, this opens the opportunity for future variants of the Panther with unmanned turrets - or, even a version that will be completely remotely-controlled.
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The crew members can all operate the sensors and weapons as each operator station can take over the tasks and roles from others while retaining full functionality. An additional space is available in the chassis as a command post or for a drone operator or wingman pilot. The commander and the gunner are in the turret while the pilot is in the chassis. The tank has been designed to be operated by three people. There is also a top attack protection system. Laser rangefinders give the Panther hunter/killer capability.įor self-protection, the Panther has a three-layer system: an active layer to protect from anti-tank missiles and kinetic energy threats a reactive layer to neutralize double shaped charge rounds that may get through and finally a passive layer to stop any remaining elements. The guns are all controlled electronically and the computerized fire control system includes stabilized day/night sights for the commander and the gunner.
At the rear of the turret roof is the company’s new “Natter” 7.62mm Remotely Controlled Weapon Station.
This weapon is complemented by a 12.7mm co-axial machine gun instead of the 7.62mm co-axial gun which equips most main battle tanks today. Weisswange said the tank was not designed as a candidate for the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) project, launched in 2012 to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks, but rather for an export market. Jan-Phillipp Weisswange, Rheinmetall’s assistant head of public relations, told Breaking Defense that the vehicle was designed on the company’s own funds and not in response to a client’s request.
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The German company said the Panther KF51 (KF is short for Kettenfahrzeug, or tracked vehicle the number indicates it falls into the 50-ton plus class) “is destined to be a game changer on the battlefields of the future.” It sets “new standards” in “lethality, protection, reconnaissance, networking and mobility,” the company boasted in a statement. Hence, Rheinmetall’s unveiling of the KF51 Panther on the first day of the Eurosatory show in Paris was quite an event. (Credit: Rheinmetall)ĮUROSATORY 2022: It’s not often that a new tank, with tracks and all, appears on the market.
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