Hungary is developing the new state of the art The Panther KF51 Tank

Under the terms of the development contract, a prototype vehicle will be assembled and validated, marking a crucial step towards full-scale production.

Expressing enthusiasm about achieving this significant milestone in the advancement of next generation fighting vehicles in Hungary, a spokesperson stated, “We are thrilled to have reached another key milestone on our journey towards manufacturing cutting-edge armoured vehicles.”

Distinguishing itself from the system demonstrator exhibited at Eurosatory, the Panther KF51 EVO will be armed with the proven L55A1 120mm smoothbore gun, a feature also found in the latest Leopard 2 variants. This choice ensures logistical compatibility with Hungary’s existing fleet of Leopard 2 tanks.

Declared as the world’s most advanced main battle tank, the Panther KF51 sets a new benchmark for the combat effectiveness of mechanized formations and offers a high level of future adaptability.

To future-proof the platform, the Panther KF51 EVO will come equipped with an autoloader. Furthermore, the turret architecture allows for subsequent retrofitting of new 130mm gun.

Built on a foundation of advanced digitalization and networkability, the Panther KF51 incorporates state-of-the-art force protection technologies like the StrikeShield stand-off protection system. The tank’s design emphasizes a low aggregate weight, leveraging the Buffalo armoured recovery vehicle’s chassis.  This design choice, combined with the tank’s low total weight, enhances the Panther KF51’s mobility and results in synergies across logistics, maintenance, and training due to commonalities with the Leopard 2 family.

The Panther KF51 features a core crew of three – the commander, gunner, and driver – with an additional station reserved for a subsystem operator or battalion commander. This flexibility enables the tank to function as a mobile command post.