According to a report in the German newspaper Handelslatt, discussions are being held on Ukraine becoming the first user of the state-of-the-art KF-51 Panther tank. According to Larissa Holzki and Martin Murphy in a February 10, 2023 publication, the company’s CEO, Armin Papperger, states that discussions are underway with Kiev so as to deliver the Panther to the Ukrainian Army. The publication even adds that there is also interest in the IFV KF41 Lynx.

The KF-51 Panther is expected to be the most advanced main battle tank with a 130 mm gun. If the talks go well, then the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be the first to receive the “Panther”, as so far no such tanks have been supplied. The publication states that delivery will take place within 15-18 months.

The DEFENCE ReDEFiNED team saw the KF-51 Panther being showcased at the Eurosatory 2022 exhibition in Paris, where it was also briefed by the company itself about the said tank during the Rheinmetall Defence Talks 2022 conference in Berlin. The articles listed include detailed analyses of the said tank.

Also read: KF-51 presentation | Rheinmetall revives the German Panther with a new concept in battle tanks at EUROSATORY 2022