Rheinmetall wants to build Panther KF51 tank plant in Ukraine

Germany's Rheinmetall is holding talks on setting up a plant to produce tanks in Ukraine.

Here's What We Know

CEO Armin Papperger told Spiegel. The construction of the plant is estimated at about 200,000,000 euros. According to the CEO, such a facility would be able to produce up to 400 of the latest Panther KF51 tanks a year. The final decision on construction should be made within two months.

Flashback

The Panther KF51 (aka Panther Kettenfahrzeug 51) is a new tank from German company Rheinmetall. It was unveiled at the Eurosatory-2022 in Paris. The tank is the successor to the Leopard 2. It is made on the same chassis and weighs 59 tons. The fighting vehicle is equipped with a 130mm gun and a 12.7mm machine gun. In addition to this the Panther KF51 boasts a kamikaze drone, the HERO 120, produced by UVision. The Panther KF51 will be available in two versions: one to be operated by a 3-person crew, the other fully autonomous.

Source: Spiegel