Ukraine received the first three Gepard anti-aircraft systems, donated by Germany

Confirmed by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov, the first three units of the 35mm Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems have arrived in his country.

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According to the Spiegel newspaper, Resnikov confirmed the arrival of the Gepards on a Ukrainian television program, in which he commented that the first three units arrived Ukraine today, along with several tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition.

In total, Ukraine is expecting 15 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems, Reznikov added.

The Gepards could have arrived earlier, but as these units were decommissioned some time ago by the German Army, there was no more ammunition in stock available for their 35mm guns.

Eventually the problem was solved, as a manufacturer was procured to supply the Ukrainian Gepards with new ammunition. The origin of the ammunition was not disclosed, but it could have come from Germany, South Africa, Japan, Turkey or, more likely, Poland.

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Gepard 35mm

Developed and introduced in the 1970s, it was the main German and Dutch low-level anti-aircraft defense system for the protection of armored units on the move and troop concentrations.

The Gepard is armed with two 35 mm Oerlikon KDA automatic cannons with an effective range of up to 4 km and a rate of 550 rounds/minute per gun.

The armament, ammunition, and detection and aiming sensors are located in a quick-turn turret. It is installed on the chassis of a Leopard 1 medium tank, in order to effectively accompany the armored units it was to protect from Soviet helicopters and ground attack aircraft.

If the version of the Gepard given to Ukraine is the 1A2 (the most modern one operated by the German Army), it should be able to use the AHEAD programmable ammunition, which would make it an excellent means to combat low-flying drones.

Something with more punch

In addition to the Gepards, Germany would also cede an undetermined number of modern IRIS-T SLM/SLS air defense systems manufactured by the German company Dielh.

This equipment would have a much higher interception capability than the old Gepards, being effective against modern and higher performance threats.