Germany's Rheinmetall offers Ukraine its new Panther Kf51 tank

While Ukraine waits on the older Abrams and Leopard tanks that the US and Europe have promised to deliver, it may have the opportunity to buy a cutting-edge German tank.

Acquiring the next-generation Panther KF51 would give Ukraine the chance to leapfrog the older tanks that Western donors are sending — as well as the mostly Cold War-era tanks that Ukraine already uses — but taking on an unproven vehicle could further tax Ukraine's military as it struggles to incorporate older Western tank models into its armed forces.

Rheinmetall, the prominent German arms firm that developed the KF51, seems confident the idea could work. Its CEO, Armin Papperger, told the German business newspaper Handelsblatt that the Panther could be delivered to Ukraine "in 15 to 18 months."

"We are talking to Kyiv about exporting the Panther," Papperger said, according to Insider.

Interestingly, Papperger said that Ukraine had also expressed interest in Rheinmetall's next-generation Lynx infantry fighting vehicle.

Rheinmetall is reportedly negotiating with Ukraine to build a tank factory there, though it's not clear whether it would produce the Panther or the older Leopard 2 tank.

There is no doubt that Ukraine needs more tanks. Russia has lost almost 2,000 tanks since the war began a year ago, according to a tally by the open-source website Oryx, but Ukraine has lost almost 500 tanks.

While Ukraine has been able to replenish some losses by putting more than 500 captured Russian tanks into service, it is still going to need foreign vehicles as the Soviet-era designs it had before the war are destroyed or worn out.

Nonetheless, one consideration for Ukraine — and any foreign donors who would subsidize its purchase — is that no military has yet bought the Kf51.

Even the best new weapons have teething problems. If Ukraine becomes the first to field the Panther, then it will become the first to deal with the inevitable bugs. With all the challenges that Ukraine already faces, that's a gamble.