As the capital Kiev continues to suffer Russian attacks, the US has just approved a contract worth more than $118 million to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with self-propelled 35mm Gepard air defense systems.
Multi-purpose, effective
The Gepard systems are being used by Ukraine to defend against all types of air threats, from cruise missiles to Shahed drones.
The Gepard has a turret armed with two 35 mm Oerlikon Contraves KDA guns, mounted on the Leopard 1 tracked main battle tank (MBT) chassis. All versions of the air defense system are equipped with a search and tracking radar inside the turret.
It is designed to act as a “node” in the defense system, targeting helicopters, low-flying aircraft as well as other air threats. In addition, the Gepard can also be used to attack ground targets.
RUSI, a UK-based defence consultancy, said the system was “highly successful” against the small, slow, low-flying Shahed-136 drones that Russia has been using quite frequently since mid-September last year. This explains the US decision to buy more Gepards from Jordan for Kiev.
However, the number of Gepard purchased for Ukraine through the US military agreement has not been disclosed in detail, while the expected date of contract completion is given as May 30, 2024.
Military observers say these Gepards may be older variants that were in service with the Dutch army before being sold to Jordan about 10 years ago.
In 2013, the Netherlands and Jordan reached a €21 million deal to transfer 60 surplus Cheetah air defense systems to the Jordanian armed forces. The deal also included 350,000 35mm rounds and spare parts.
To date, Germany has sent a number of these vehicles to the Kiev army, deploying them effectively, in particular to defend against Russian cruise missiles and drones.
UAV Warfare
The Pentagon’s decision is significant as Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kiev, have been hit by a series of missile and drone strikes. Russia has stepped up its attacks on its adversaries after a recent failed drone “raid” on Moscow, with a priority being on Ukraine’s military command center.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yury Ihnat said on June 1 that Russia has enough UAVs to carry out attacks on Ukraine every day.
“Shahed drones are now launched so frequently that it is unclear whether they are undermining our air defense capabilities. Or are both wearing down and exposing defense systems,” the Ukrainian military representative said.
Therefore, the transfer of air defense systems such as Gepard will strengthen Ukraine's defense against Russian UAVs in the coming time, especially when the attacks show no signs of abating.
Earlier this year, German MP Roderich Kizewetter proposed to "buy back" 15 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery systems (SZU) that had been previously sold to Qatar and transfer them to Ukraine.
The US Defense Department agreement falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which is intended to purchase weapons instead of “diluting” supplies taken directly from Washington’s arsenal to the conflict in Europe.
The Pentagon's move comes amid reports that US equipment withdrawn from a third country to be delivered to Ukraine has proven unsuitable for combat.
Specifically, a Defense Department inspector recently found that equipment taken from a US military stockpile in Kuwait and sent to Kiev was not prepared for combat operations, Defense News reported.
“We identified issues that resulted in unplanned maintenance, repairs, and extended preparation times for selected military equipment sent to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” the May 23 report said.
Before being sent to Ukraine by US European Command, all six M777 howitzers and 25 of the 29 M1167 High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles were not “mission ready.”
By January 2023, the US government had reportedly used its withdrawal authority 30 times to provide $18.3 billion worth of weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
(According to EurAsian Times)
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