German defence giant Rheinmetall reportedly signed a research and development contract several weeks ago to create a production version of the cannon and its ammunition. Although the details of the contracting party were not disclosed, it is speculated that Hungary might be involved, as it is the only country so far to have a development agreement for the KF51 Panther tank, which can optionally be equipped with a 130mm Rheinmetall L/52 gun.
The Panther tank could potentially be armed with the new 130 mm cannon, although according to the agreement with Hungary, the production variant known as Panther EVO is expected to be equipped with a 12 mm L/55A1 gun. Media reports suggest that the tank could be offered to the Bundeswehr as an interim solution on the path to the more revolutionary future ground combat system MGCS, which also includes a next-generation tank.
This vehicle might be referred to as “Leopard 3” or “Leopard 2+”, as the new model, while featuring a new turret and a significantly upgraded chassis, is derived from the existing Leopard 2 tank (the new turret could also be used to upgrade older Leopard 2 tanks).
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