The German Ministry of Defense announced on December 1, 2022, the delivery to Ukraine of a new batch of 7 Gepard 35mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun systems. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Germany has already supplied Ukraine with 30 Gepards.
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Gepard 35mm anti-aircraft gun system is based on the tracked chassis of the Leopard 1 main battle tank. (Picture source Army Recognition)
Several European countries continue to supply military equipment, weapons, and combat vehicles to the Ukrainian armed forces after the invasion of the country by the Russian army. For the Ukrainian President, modern air defense systems are key elements in this war in the face of numerous attacks air attacks from Russian forces.
The European Union has also created the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) which was established on 17 October 2022 to provide a structured EU response to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ urgent as well as longer-term training needs, and to offer a predictable and sustainable platform to enhance the military capacity and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces.
The Gepard is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system that is based on the tracked chassis of the Leopard 1 MBT (Main Battle Tank). It is no longer in service with the German army but it continues to be used by other countries around the world.
The Gepard is armed with two Oerlikon Contraves 35-mm KDA cannons, one mounted on each side of the turret. These have a cyclic fire rate of 550 rounds, per barrel, per minute, with an effective air defense range of about 3,500 m and more than 4,500 m with the new FAPDS (Frangible Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot)ammunition that can be used to defeat air targets, light tactical and armored vehicles.
Despite that the Gepard dates from the 80s, it continues to be effective against aerial threats including drones which is one of the main threats in the war in Ukraine.
The Gepard can search and track targets in fully autonomous mode thanks to its independent search and tracking radars. In fact, the vehicle is fitted with two radars including a pulse Doppler search radar located at the rear of the turret roof and a tracking radar mounted at the front of the turret. The radars provide 360° scanning with simultaneous target tracking, clutter suppression, search on the move capability, and a monopulse tracking mode with a range of 15 km.
