Rosenbauer Panther

Rosenbauer Panther is a model of airport crash tender produced by Austrian manufacturer Rosenbauer.

It exists in 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 versions. The 8x8 version accommodates 14,500 litres (3,830 gallons) of fire extinguishing agents and a maximum speed of 140 km/h (87 mph), with an operating weight of 40 tons.

History
The Panther was released in 1991 and was the second airport crash tender vehicle from the manufacturer as a successor of the Rosenbauer Simba, which was discontinued in 1996. Panther was showcased at the Hanover show. The new vehicle was designed by Kristain Fenzl based on a MAN 36.1000 VFAEG chassis, powered by a MAN 22 litre V12 charge-cooled diesel producing 735kW (990hp) at 2,300rpm. Weighing at 36 tons, the vehicle was capable of accelerating from 0-80 km/h in 25 seconds with a top speed of 140 km/h, also having an automatic gearbox and a gradability of 60%.

The Panther can carry 10,000-14,000 litres of water, 1,000-2,000 litres of foaming agent and up to 500 kg of powder. The vehicle usually has an 8x8 drivetrain, but smaller vehicles with 4x4 and 6x6 drivetrain were also manufactured. These became available in May 1992.

Models

 * Panther 4x4
 * Panther 6x6s
 * Panther 6x6
 * Panther 8x8

In popular culture
In the film Transformers: Dark of the Moon Sentinel Prime's alternate mode is a Rosenbauer Panther. For the film, the 6x6 version was chosen and repainted to red and black colour with tinted windows and autobot graphics to match the visual appearance of Sentinel Prime. Later Rosenbauer granted Transformers a sub brand of Hasbro Toy Company to produce a toy replica of the Sentinel Prime Panther vehicle, the toy sold over 300 million units.

In the fifteenth series of Fireman Sam, Jupiter is loosely redesigned entirely by Joe Sparks as a Rosenbauer Panther with a telescoping ladder to make it a Turntable Ladder Combined Rescue Pump.