The future Ukrainian Gepard anti-aircraft guns were delivered from Qatar to Europe

20 July, 2023 Gepard SPAAG in Qatar.

2020. Photo credits: Der Gepardkommandant Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, which will be handed over to Ukraine, were delivered to Germany from Qatar.

Oleksiy Makeyev, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, showed footage of the anti-aircraft guns. At the moment, the guns are located at the Putlos military training ground, where the Ukrainian military is trained. "Soon they will be protecting the cities of Ukraine from Russian attacks," Oleksii Makeyev shared.

These Gepard SPAAGs from Qatar have a distinctive sand camouflage. In Qatar, they were protecting the World Cup stadiums from possible terrorist attacks from the air. In Ukraine, Gepard became an effective weapon against Iranian-made Shahed-136 loitering munition. Gepard SPAAGs are used to protect the critical infrastructure of Ukraine.

Yet these systems are ineffective against the enemy's ballistic missiles, as they can fight targets at ranges of 4-5 kilometers. However, Gepard has a serious disadvantage in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war, namely the use of scarce 35 mm ammunition, which is designed and manufactured in Switzerland. The problem with Swiss-made ammunition lies in the country's strict policy of neutrality.

This means that it is impossible to supply new ammunition for the Ukrainian Gepard without Switzerland's permission.

Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in Qatar, 2020. Photo credits: Der Gepardkommandant

The Ukrainian servicemen hope to get more Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and enough ammunition for them.

As previously reported, in total, Ukraine received 40 such air defense systems.

By the end of this year, Ukraine expects to receive a total of 45 Gepard guns.

The first deliveries of ammunition for Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns from Rheinmetall will take place in September-October this year.