Germany will provide Ukraine with ammunition for “Gepard” – SPIEGEL

Germany solved the problem of supplying the ammunition for the “Gepard” anti-aircraft self-propelled artillery system to Ukraine.

According to the German media SPIEGEL, after several weeks of joint efforts, the office of the German government, together with the Ministry of Defence of Norway, found a manufacturer who would be able to produce additional ammunition.

The supply of ammunition for the Gepard SPAAG was previously considered a problem, as only a little below 60 thousand 35mm shells were available.

Gepard can shoot at a speed of up to 1,000 rounds per minute. However, in real conditions, it shoots at an effective rate, adapted to the target.

The German government initially located the ammunition in South America, but their transfer to Ukraine was not approved by Switzerland, the manufacturing country.

Recently, the manufacturer in Norway stated that it would be able to produce these special 35-mm rounds.

Next week, they should be tested at the Bundeswehr shooting range in Putlos (Schleswig-Holstein).

As for the equipment supply, nothing should prevent the transfer of 30 units of Gepard to Ukraine.

The system manufacturer is already conducting training for the Ukrainian soldiers in Germany to use the SPAAGs. They will be used in Ukraine to protect cities and critical infrastructure.

If everything goes according to plan, the first systems should be delivered to Ukraine in July 2022.

In June, the training for the Ukrainian gunners to use the German Mars rocket systems began.

Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be receiving additional Panzerhaubitze (PzH) 2000 self-propelled howitzers from Germany and the Netherlands.