In just one year, the German arms industry went into war mode. Rheinmetall’s announcements about military aid to Ukraine have multiplied in recent weeks. In addition to the Leopard 1 and 2 tanks, the group is proposing to build a factory in the Ukraine for the construction of its new tank, the KF-51 Panther.
This is the one that was presented for the first time in France during the 2022 edition of the Eurosatory exhibition. This ultra-modern tank is even perceived as a competitor to the MGCS, the Franco-German tank program of the future. The person in charge of Rheinmetall assures that this factory will be able to produce 400 Panthers a year.
This remotely operated turret tank is equipped with a 130mm gun with an automatic loading system from an Asian tank. Its rotary magazine allows you to have about ten ammunition. It also has a 12.7mm heavy machine gun with automatic tracking of ground or air targets like drones.
“We are working at full speed”
Amin Papperger, head of Rheimetall, explains that this program will provide the necessary armored units to face the Russian troops. In an interview in Rhine Mail discovered by specialized site opex360, believes that shipments of a few hundred leopards by kyiv’s allies will be insufficient. He estimates the needs of the Ukrainian army at around 800 tanks.
The leader detailed the help provided by his group. “We are working at full speed. We have already put more than 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles into operation, and by the end of the year there will be about 100. About 30 tanks are ready, out of 50 Leopard 2A4s. Out of about 100 old Leopards 1, we can make 88 usable again.”
SurveilSPIRE Monitoring Systems
In addition to armored vehicles, Rheinmetall has revealed its intention to supply SurveilSPIRE surveillance systems capable of operating day and night. The first copy has already reached the Ukrainian forces as revealed on Telegram by the GUR, the intelligence service, which has given details of this device.
The watchtowers are produced by the Estonian company DefSecIntel. Fully mobile, they are installed in vehicles to be deployed in a few tens of minutes by just three people. The GUR clarified that these vehicles are included in the systems delivered by Germany.
Source: BFM TV
