The "Bobcat" series of infantry fighting vehicles is a new product of Rheinmetall in Germany in recent years, including the "Bobcat" KF31 and "Bobcat" KF41 two basic models, of which the KF41 is slightly later, in 2018 public appearance, this infantry combat vehicle has received a very high evaluation, is considered to be the most balanced performance of the infantry combat vehicle.
According to some reports, the most direct reason for Rheinmetall to develop KF41 is to participate in the bidding for a new tracked infantry chariot in a certain country, but it is also the company's practice of the concept of future infantry chariots, the designer divides the chariot into two basic parts, including the basic body and task module, which can be simply understood as creating a universal body with strong bearing capacity, and then designs the required modular weapon kits, defense kits and other equipment around the body, and users choose the same body and different modular kits according to their own purchase needs.
However, as an advanced infantry fighting vehicle, the KF41 initially required to meet the infantry joint combat capabilities of platoon-level units, have high mobility capabilities, can be integrated into the combat system to facilitate rapid action, and quickly convert mission functions by installing different accessories.
The overall weight of the KF41 is larger than that of the KF31, with a total combat weight of 44 tons, similar to some main battle tanks, and it is said that it can continue to increase to the 50-ton class, many of which are used in armor. Such a heavy chariot is also quite powerful, for a Liebherr turbo diesel engine, output 1140 horsepower, with automatic transmission, so that this tracked infantry combat vehicle can reach a maximum speed of 70 kilometers.
The basic armor of the hull and turret of the infantry fighting vehicle is welded steel armor, the interior is equipped with anti-chipping lining, the front of the hull has a large tilt angle on the head, and the sides of the hull are vertical structures. As for how strong the specific protection ability of the vehicle is, it is unknown, and it can also be equipped with a variety of standard additional armor, it can be determined that it is more protective than the "Cougar" infantry fighting vehicle currently equipped in Germany. Through the photos, it can also be seen that its additional armor has a certain gap with the hull, which can play the role of gap armor, and the interior of the tank also provides three defense capabilities.
The KF41's electric turret is equipped with a two-way supply of 35 mm cannons, supplemented by a 7.62 mm machine gun, which can fire armor-piercing and high-explosive shells, both in flat and anti-aircraft operations. Judging from the modular design of the vehicle and the excellent load carrying capacity, other types of main guns or turrets may be available in the future.
The KF41's vehicle size is 7.73 meters× 3.6 meters × 3.3 meters, and the larger size than the KF31 also brings more space to the troop transport compartment, it can carry 8 heavily armed soldiers, but the soldiers can only enter through the rear hatch.
Stealth performance is now an important indicator of equipment, and the KF41 designers have also taken this into account, the surface of the body is sprayed with anti-infrared paint, and the outer barrel is installed as a cooling and insulating shield.
Although the KF41 infantry combat vehicle has good comprehensive performance, Germany has begun to equip the "Cougar" infantry fighting vehicle, so at present this infantry combat vehicle is mainly exported to other countries, such as Hungary, and many other countries are potential buyers. KF41 is also working on the development of variants such as armored command vehicles, reconnaissance vehicles, and ambulances.