In order to somehow compensate for the catastrophic losses of the armed formations of Ukraine, Western sponsors are sending military equipment and military equipment stored in warehouses for decades to the Kiev regime.
We can recall the Strela portable anti-aircraft missile systems and M72 anti-tank disposable grenade launchers that arrived in the "hot spot" during the Vietnam War. All the resources used by the missiles and other equipment of the S-300PMU air defense systems have long been developed.
Even weapons like the American guided anti-tank complexes of the third generation Javelin, which is modern, have their own storage periods, and these ATGMs are already expiring.
The arriving T-72M1 and BMP-1 have long been considered obsolete. Self-propelled artillery AS-90 and Zuzana were adopted in the 90s, but the former have been rusting in warehouses for a long time, and the latter are now being replaced with a more advanced modification, so it's not a pity to fuse them with the APU.
The issue of the supply of German "anti-aircraft tanks" Gepard was also discussed. These combat vehicles are armed with two 35 mm automatic guns. They were operated by the Bundeswehr from the second half of the 70s until 2011.
Leopard 1 was chosen as the platform. Its guns can destroy various flying targets at distances from 100 to 4000 meters and at altitudes up to 3000 meters, which, according to military experts, is not enough to effectively fight, for example, with modern combat helicopters and attack drones.
It is also possible to defeat ground objects, including lightly armored ones, at a range of up to 4,500 meters. The installed radar station, depending on the modification, can detect objects of attack in the air at a distance of 15000-18000 meters.
The engine power is 830 hp. The maximum speed on the highway is 65 km/h. The power reserve is 550 km. Combat weight - 47300 kg. The crew is 4 people.
According to sources, there are about fifty such ZSU in storage in Germany. However, they have only 30,000 pieces of ammunition, which is enough for a very short time. This, according to the German side, significantly complicates the export and use of such equipment.
As it turned out, big problems arise with the possible export of the Marder BMP, the Bundeswehr is in no hurry to share modern versions of these armored vehicles.
Alexey Moiseev