According to the German newspaper Lübecker Nachrichten, at least 100 Ukrainian soldiers are currently being trained in using the Gepard anti-aircraft tank by the German army (Bundeswehr) in Schleswig-Holstein.
Let us remind that, according to information published by the German newspaper Die Welt on May 20, 2022, Ukraine is expected to receive the first 15 German-made Gepard 35mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun systems from the German army military inventory. The result of the negotiation between German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) and her Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Resnikov was announced on Friday 20, 2022. This military aid for Ukraine also includes training support from the German army, the provision of almost 60,000 rounds and the delivery of a further 15 Gepard anti-aircraft armored vehicles this summer 2022.
The Gepard (Cheetah, in English) is a self-propelled anti-aircraft system that was developed by the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) between 1976 and 1980. The development of the vehicle started in the 1960s and it was fielded in the 1970s.
The Gepard is fitted with a two-man turret armed with two Oerlikon Contraves 35 mm KDA cannons which have a cyclic rate of fire of 550 rds/min. A 35mm cannon is mounted externally on either side of the turret and the anti-aircraft ammunition is fed via fixed and moving chutes which are hermetically sealed from the fighting compartment. Each cannon is loaded with 310 anti-aircraft rounds and 20 rounds of armor-piercing ammunition. The cannons have a maximum firing range of 5,500 meters with FAPDS ammunition. A bank of four 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers is mounted on either side of the turret for dissimulation (smoke screen).
The Gepard is based on the tracked armored chassis of the Leopard 1 MBT of which the original turret is removed and replaced by a two-man anti-aircraft one. It has a crew of three: driver, commander, and gunner.
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