Image source: topwar.ru
Ukraine may receive German Gepard 1A2 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns as early as this month, Germany has found a supplier of additional ammunition for ZSU. According to Spiegel magazine, Norway has agreed to supply the required number of shells for anti-aircraft installations.
According to the publication, which refers to unnamed sources, the German Defense Ministry found a Norwegian manufacturer who agreed to supply the requested number of 35X228 mm shells for 35 mm Oerlikon GDF automatic guns armed with the Gepard 1A2 ZSU. No other details are given, but it is emphasized that if everything goes according to plan, Kiev will receive the first anti-aircraft guns this month.
The epic with the transfer of the Gepard ZSU to Ukraine has been going on since April of this year. The manufacturer of these anti-aircraft installations Krauss-Maffei Wegmann offered to transfer to Ukraine 50 ZSU Gepard 1A2, removed from long-term protection. On April 28, the Bundestag gave its permission for the transfer, German Defense Minister Kristina Lambrecht made a speech, blessing the sending of installations to Kiev, and the matter stalled. As it turned out, Germany does not have the necessary amount of ammunition for anti-aircraft guns, and Switzerland, which is a manufacturer of shells, refused to supply them to Ukraine. The thing is that the self-propelled gun is equipped with 35 mm automatic guns Oerlikon GDF also Swiss-made, and Swiss laws prohibit the supply of weapons to countries where there are hostilities.
Attempts to find shells in Brazil, Qatar and Jordan were unsuccessful. Now here's the Norway option.
As previously reported, the Gepard 1A2 ZSU has a firing range of up to 5 km, and an altitude of up to 4 km, the radar detects targets at a range of up to 18 km. At the same time, the installation does not have the ability to deal with modern air threats, which is why it was decommissioned.
