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​Ukrainian Military Tell What German 'Gepard' Anti-Aircraft Guns Will Be Used For

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Illustrative photo: German Flakpanzer Gepard mobile anti-aircraft artillery system / Open source photo
Illustrative photo: German Flakpanzer Gepard mobile anti-aircraft artillery system / Open source photo

German self-propelled guns will provide close-air defense to strategically important objects in Ukraine

In a recent story from Ukrainian Military TV, several military experts explain how useful the German-supplied anti-aircraft vehicles are to the Ukrainian Army.

According to the journalists of the channel, these complexes will be used to cover important infrastructure objects from military aircraft attacks at low altitudes.

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"Against helicopters, some types of subsonic missiles and warplanes performing a low pass maneuver, i.e flying at a low altitude," explain the capabilities of a Gepard expert Oleksandr Kovalenko.

This partially takes off the question of how the systems will be used in real combat. As Defense Express noted previously, the Gepard’s range of fire is only 3.5 kilometers, whereas the rockets installed on russian helicopters can fire on targets 6 to 8 km away.

Due to its relatively short firing range Ukrainian soldiers need to find a creative way to apply these weapons on the battlefield / Open source illustrative photo

But when used as a stationary anti-aircraft system, it can prove effective in intercepting previously detected cruise missiles and approaching aircraft.

To facilitate this function, the supplied to Ukraine variant 1A2 of this system is equipped with a digital computer capable of receiving data from radars other than its own. In fact, it can see targets beyond its reach.

"Considering that it is quite a modern modification, it can be integrated into our general air defense system, so that it could receive targeting from more powerful radar stations. This way, while a missile is still coming, the Gepard is already waiting for it, preparing," said expert Oleksii Bobovnikov.

Bobovnikov also assured that the low ammo capacity of the vehicle will not be an issue for Gepard, which can spend an entire stock of 640 ammos in about 35 seconds with its rate of fire 1100 rpm.

"It simply does not engage in such fierce fighting that it needs to spend the entire stock every single time. However, the stock sure is fired away at a 'cosmic' speed."

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