Germany has promised Kiev more Gepard anti-aircraft armor as Ukraine tries to defend itself against constant attacks by Iranian-made drones, Newsweek reports, citing Rador.

On February 8, the head of the Administration of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Andriy Yermak announced that Ukraine received a new tranche of military aid from Germany, including additional tanks.

Berlin will send two more Gepard mobile anti-aircraft systems, as well as 6 thousand units of ammunition, Yermak wrote in Telegram.

On Sunday, the German government announced that it had delivered 32 mobile Gepard anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, up from the previous figure of 30.

Five more Gepard systems are “in the pipeline,” according to the German government’s website.

The Gepard is a self-propelled, armored, all-weather mobile anti-aircraft system developed in the 1960s. Produced by the military company Krauss Maffei-Wegmann (KMW), the Gepard system was supplied to countries such as Germany, Belgium, Romania and below.

Mainly intended for air defense, the anti-aircraft system can also be directed at ground targets.

With a crew of three, the Gepard tracked tank can reach a top speed of 40 mph and has a range of 340 miles. According to KMW, it has independent target tracking and surveillance radars and is equipped with “advanced training and simulation equipment”.

Equipped with two 35 mm automatic cannons, “the Gepard system’s high mobility and rapid turret rotation provide the extremely short reaction time necessary to combat air threats.” The Cheetah is built on the chassis of the Leopard-1 tank.

Not only is it effective against fighter jets, attack helicopters and missiles, but, according to the manufacturer, “it can also successfully combat drones.”

At the end of April 2022, Berlin committed to send about 50 Gepard systems to Ukraine, which was considered the first batch of “heavy weapons” sent to Kyiv from Germany. The first batch of Gepard tanks arrived in Ukraine in July.

Defense Minister Lloyd Austin called this step “an important decision” that “will provide a real capability for Ukraine.”

Shortly after the announcement, Switzerland rejected German requests to re-export Swiss-made ammunition for the Gepard systems. Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs cited “neutrality” to justify the decision.

On December 2, Germany was reportedly preparing to send seven more Gepard tanks to Ukraine, with the tranche expected to arrive on the front lines by spring 2023. According to the German newspaper Der Spiegel, seven Gepard tanks entered the modernization process before being abandoned. to Ukraine.

Germany’s new defense minister, Boris Pistorius, was quoted by the German newspaper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung as saying in January that “the number one priority is air defense, air defense, air defense.”

Pistorius told German public broadcaster ZDF during a surprise visit to Kyiv earlier this month that Germany is committed to supporting Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.

As quoted by German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Pistorius said: “The Gepard system plays a central role here in air defense, especially in cities and critical infrastructure.”

“In addition to the 30 Cheetah tanks that have already been delivered, we delivered two more in January, with five more to come,” he said.

On November 3, Ukrainian diplomat Oleksandr Shcherba called the Cheetah tanks “excellent”.

“[Acestea] can change the situation in Ukraine’s fight against Iranian drones,” he wrote on Twitter. “I wish we had more.”

Gepard systems became famous for their ability to shoot down Iranian Shahed-131 and 136 “kamikaze” drones.

Glen Grant, a senior defense expert at the Baltic Security Foundation, called the short-range Gepard systems “world-class equipment.”

But he previously told Newsweek that the Gepard system’s ability to shoot down drones “depends entirely on whether it’s in the right place.”

“It’s a tactical weapon, not a strategic weapon,” Grant said, adding, “The system is intended to be the next element for ground forces.”

“You really have to put it in the right place, and that means understanding what and where the enemy is going to direct their drones, because they can easily be out of range,” he added.

Dr. Michael Knights of the Washington Foundation previously told Newsweek that the Gepard system is a much cheaper alternative for Ukraine and NATO than missile interceptor systems, Newsweek reported. (Radar pickup)