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Kiev will obtain the primary Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons and ammunition in July, Berlin says
The primary 15 Gepard anti-aircraft autos will arrive in Ukraine someday in July, together with 59,000 rounds of ammunition for them, the German Protection Ministry mentioned on Friday. This may be the heaviest weapons system straight supplied by Berlin to Kiev to this point.
The announcement got here after Friday’s cellphone name between German Protection Minister Christine Lambrecht and her Ukrainian counterpart, Alexey Reznikov.
The Bundeswehr may also prepare Ukrainian operators on the autos, that are armed with twin 35mm autocannons. Lambrecht referred to as the Gepard an “efficient” weapon that might be used “for the safety of important infrastructure.”
Designed within the Nineteen Sixties on the Leopard 1 tank chassis, the flakpanzer (air protection tank) was retired from lively service with the Bundeswehr in 2012. Brazil, Jordan, and Romania presently function second-hand Gepards. In April, Berlin approved their producer, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, to ship as much as 50 models to Ukraine on the German authorities’s expense.
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The association was proposed by Chancellor Olaf Sholz, who just lately admitted that the Bundeswehr shares had been operating low. Whereas insisting that Germany – and its NATO allies – should arm Ukraine so Russia doesn’t win, Scholz additionally argued that Berlin ought to keep away from direct navy confrontation with Moscow.
In accordance with German media, the Gepard ought to assist Ukraine fend off Russian assault helicopters and should even be helpful towards infantry and frivolously armored autos and vans. Within the German service, the Gepard was changed by a smaller car referred to as the Ocelot, armed with Stinger missile launchers. The US and its NATO allies have equipped 1000’s of transportable Stingers to Ukraine, to the purpose the place its maker, Raytheon, warned of impending shortages.
In the meantime, the Bundeswehr has skilled Ukrainians to make use of the Panzerhaubitze (PzH) 2000. Although a German-designed self-propelled howitzer, the seven models reportedly delivered to Kiev have come from the Netherlands.
Although Kiev had additionally requested for mothballed Leopard 1 tanks, and their producer, Rheinmetall, mentioned it was keen to get 50 or extra delivered, the deal reportedly fell via as a result of lack of ammunition and elements.
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