Germany plans to deliver an additional 45 Gepard anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine this year, as confirmed by German Army Brigadier General Christian Freuding.
The head of the German Defense Ministry’s Ukraine Situation Center informed Welt that fifteen of these systems are scheduled to arrive in Ukraine within the coming weeks.
Since the outbreak of the war last year, Germany has already sent 35 Gepards to Ukraine, along with 6,000 rounds of ammunition.
In February, Berlin awarded a substantial contract to Rheinmetall to supply 300,000 rounds of ammunition specifically designed for the Gepard systems used by Ukrainian forces. The first shipment of ammunition is expected to arrive by the summer of 2023.
Furthermore, the Pentagon awarded a $118.3-million contract to Florida-based Global Military Products in June to procure and deliver Gepard systems to Ukraine.
The effectiveness of the Gepard systems in safeguarding Ukrainian civilian infrastructure from Russia-launched Shahed drones was highlighted by the German Embassy in a tweet last November.
На захисті 🇺🇦 неба: з початку повномасштабної війни #Німеччина поставила Україні 30 зенітних установок (САУ) #Gepard. Gepard став ефективною зброєю проти іранських безпілотників Shahed-136. Його використовують для захисту 🇺🇦 критичної інфраструктури. #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/yraxPV841H
— Посольство Німеччини (@GermanyinUA) November 19, 2022
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann system utilizes the Leopard main battle tank chassis as its base. It is equipped with twin Oerlikon KDA 35-millimeter guns, with each gun carrying a stock of 320 rounds of ammunition.
The system’s radars offer a comprehensive 360-degree scanning capability and the ability to simultaneously track multiple targets.
According to a report by Welt, Germany plans to send two additional IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to Ukraine this year. Furthermore, four more systems are scheduled to be sent in 2024, as stated by Freuding, an official cited in the report.
Source: With Agencies