Despite being a design that emerged during the Cold War years and seemingly facing obsolescence after its conclusion, the Gepard air defense vehicles transferred by Germany and its allies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces are experiencing a second life in the conflict against Russia. The large-scale emergence and use of new Russian unmanned aerial vehicles and loitering munitions during the conflict have led to a resurgence of gun-based anti-aircraft artillery in Ukraine’s defense systems, as well as in the considerations of other European countries. Their lower operational cost compared to missile-based systems is a key factor, along with their versatility in providing very short-range and point defense for critical installations. In this context, the company KNDS has reportedly put forward proposals to modernize Ukraine’s Gepards with new sensor equipment, aiming to keep them operational in the coming years.
With the deepening of the conflict and Berlin’s continued support for Kyiv through various equipment packages, efforts have been made to further strengthen the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense capabilities. In addition to the sophisticated Patriot and IRIS-T SLS missiles supplied, the German government also turned to the recovery and transfer of systems dating back to the Cold War, which had been gradually decommissioned over the past decades.
This is the case with the Gepard anti-aircraft vehicles, which began being supplied to Ukraine in 2023 along with their respective batches of 35mm ammunition and support packages. The German initiative, based on the provision of 52 systems, was complemented by another effort from the United States, which sought to purchase similar systems in service with the Jordanian Armed Forces. Specifically, this involved models of the Cheetah version, a variant of the Gepard used by the Dutch Army (also known as PRTL anti-aircraft vehicles), which, after the end of the Cold War, were partially sold to the Middle Eastern country.
With all these precedents, and within the framework of an interview given to Ukrainian local media, KNDS CEO Ralf Ketzel stated that the company has Gepard vehicles available for transfer to Ukraine. However, he emphasized that their focus was not only on refurbishing them for delivery but also on advancing the modernization of various components, such as the radar systems.
Regarding this, Ketzel told Ukrainian media: “We have a modern version of the Gepard, but we also have a batch of vehicles from the older version. And we would be delighted if, within the framework of this partnership, we could develop a Ukrainian version with an improved radar and an optimized tracking system.”
Although he did not go into further details, the KNDS CEO also mentioned that maintaining the Ukrainian Gepards poses certain complexities, requiring more extensive work compared to other platforms provided to the country, such as the Leopard 2 and PzH 2000.
“Leopard tanks, PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery pieces, and other equipment are already in use by the Ukrainian Defense Forces and may be less complex compared to the Gepard’s fire control system. We know that its maintenance is carried out both in Ukraine, through our partner company Rheinmetall within its joint venture, and outside the country, at our facilities and other locations,” he stated.
However, these statements should be taken with caution, as in the current context, feasibility studies must be conducted to determine whether these upgrades would be focused solely on future Gepard transfers to Ukraine or if they would extend to the entire fleet of anti-aircraft artillery vehicles currently in service and deployed in operations.
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