war in Ukraine
German anti-aircraft tank Gepard proves itself as a missile killer in Ukraine
The authenticity of the video could not initially be independently confirmed. Russia attacked Ukraine again on Monday with dozens of cruise missiles. However, the video that has now been released does not indicate when the recording was made.
Cheetah from German production in Ukraine
Ukraine has already received 30 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks from the stocks of the manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). In addition, the delivery of seven more cheetahs was announced last Friday in Berlin.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression at the end of February, Germany has delivered weapons and military equipment to Ukraine worth almost two billion euros.
The Gepard anti-aircraft tank is one of the heavy weapon systems that Berlin has made available to Kyiv. He proves himself in the defense against Russian cruise missiles. Its performance has long been praised, but now a video shows its twin 35mm cannons launching a cruise missile.
The cheetah is a so-called anti-aircraft tank. Its chassis is based on that of the Leopard 1, so it’s the size of a full-fledged main battle tank. However, it is not as heavily armored and there is no turret with a chariot gun on the hull. The Cheetah also has a rotating turret, but it is armed with two 35mm autocannons and its appearance is dominated by its radar. With a comparatively short range of 5000 meters, the Gepard was built for close air defense of armored and mechanized groups. Helicopters or ground attack aircraft that attack a tank tip are fired upon by him. The Bundeswehr has retired the cheetah for cost reasons. That was certainly a mistake, Ukraine shows how effectively the oldie can be used against weapon systems that didn’t even exist when it was conceived: drones and cruise missiles.
Cold War model
The Cheetah was developed in the 1960s and ordered and delivered in the 1970s. The Bundeswehr received 420 guns, and his term of service in the Bundeswehr ended in March 2010. The heart of the machine is the 35 mm L/90 Oerlikon-KDA twin automatic cannon. A heavy caliber with an extremely high rate of fire. The relatively large caliber was able to penetrate the armor of the Soviet attack helicopters of the time. Today the ammunition is the main problem. Own production was abandoned when the cheetah was taken out of service. Stocks from Swiss production were not allowed to be delivered because of Switzerland’s strict neutrality. The powerful twin guns needed the chassis of a main battle tank. The cheetah weighs almost 50 tons, the lighter armed Soviet anti-aircraft tank ZSU-23-4 weighs less than half. The range of the Oerlikon-KDA is 5000 meters, it reaches 2500 meters high. For a successful kill, however, the target should come a little closer than just to the edge of the effective range.
German tank construction
Photo series Flakpanzer Gepard – 6 pictures
The end of the iron flak
Technical development has been affecting the cheetahs since they were put into service. Above all, the appearance of ever smaller and more powerful guided missiles. A helicopter attacking a tank with cannons or unguided missiles must enter the area of effect of the 35mm cannons. But if he fires a guided missile from a distance, the cheetah is powerless. The guided missiles also prevailed in anti-aircraft defense. Today, modern manpads have a longer range than the cheetah. A colossal behemoth that begs to be serviced and cared for, while a manpad can simply be loaded onto any pick-up truck in its transport box. Since the 1970s, the so-called iron anti-aircraft guns have disappeared, first the large cannons with their powerful calibers and then the smaller mobile machine cannons. And with them, the cheetah was retired. At least in the armed forces. But countries like Romania continue to use the cheetah.
The cheetah’s actual anti-aircraft equipment – guns, radar, laser rangefinder and ammunition – is housed in the large 15-ton turret. Although the Cheetah was built for anti-aircraft combat, it can also be used in ground combat. This was demonstrated in Syria. There, Soviet-era anti-aircraft tanks such as the ZSU-23-4 have been reactivated by Assad’s troops, even though the insurgents have no air force at all. But the firepower of its four 23 mm ASP-23 “Amur” autocannons is far more effective in urban areas than the single shots of a main battle tank. This shows the limits of the cheetah when used against ground targets. With a battle tank, you try to keep the turret as flat as possible so as not to offer a large target. The cheetah’s turret, on the other hand, is massive and has little armor. The high stature and low protection make it dangerous to use, since the Russian troops also have modern, long-range anti-tank missiles.
Effective as a single system
Despite its size, the turret is extremely agile to allow it to track aerial targets. It can be rotated completely in just two and a half seconds. Each vehicle has radar for all-round surveillance and tracking radar – both with a range of 15 kilometers. There is also a laser range finder and fire control system. That’s why the cheetah is still effective. The chassis is fully off-road. In the muddy conditions in the Ukraine, however, the high weight is a disadvantage. What speaks in favor of the cheetah is that it can effectively fight air targets even as a single tank. It can also be effective if it is not integrated into a complex air defense system. It is safe to assume that US air patrol planes will inform Ukrainian troops of any Russian air movements. Thus forewarned, the cheetah can shoot down approaching cruise missiles at low altitude.
Manpads against anti-aircraft tanks
These cruise missiles follow a course that is defined before deployment, but which certainly allows for changes of direction. Because they fly relatively low, anti-aircraft defenses must be stationed close to that course to have a chance to fire. If a cruise missile or a cheap Iranian drone is targeted, it is almost certain that it will be shot down. These missiles do not fly evasive movements, but stubbornly follow their entered course. Since the Russians primarily attack power supply targets, it is possible to place the anti-aircraft tanks along possible attack routes. The cheetah can acquire multiple targets at the same time. The speed of the system would also make it possible to launch multiple missiles in quick succession.
A disadvantage is the lower range of the cheetah – a tank can only protect one object, but not a region. It is uncertain whether the positive experiences in Ukraine will lead to a rebirth of the cheetah. The portable anti-aircraft missiles (Manpads) have also proven their worth in close-range defense. They are much cheaper and available in much larger numbers than the complex anti-aircraft systems.