Belgium has announced plans to repurchase and deliver 15 Gepard anti-aircraft armored vehicles to Ukraine, marking a significant contribution to Kyiv’s air defense capabilities amid ongoing conflict with Russia.
The decision, reported by Belgian media outlet DHnet, involves Belgium acquiring the Gepard systems from storage and transferring them to Ukrainian forces. The vehicles, originally developed in the 1970s by Germany as the Flakpanzer Gepard, are self-propelled anti-aircraft guns mounted on a Leopard tank chassis, equipped with twin 35 mm Oerlikon cannons and radar systems designed to engage low-flying aircraft.
Despite their age, the Gepard systems have proven effective in Ukraine’s current warfare environment, particularly in countering the threat posed by inexpensive Iranian-made Shahed drones and other loitering munitions. Their guns, originally intended for intercepting Soviet-era jets, have demonstrated unexpected utility in shooting down slow-flying, low-cost drones that threaten energy infrastructure and civilian areas.
Belgium’s OIP Land Systems, a defense company known for handling decommissioned military equipment, reportedly has up to 40 operational Gepard systems in storage. The measure is part of a €1 billion military aid package approved in early April.
The acquisition will see Belgium purchase the vehicles from OIP, a Belgian subsidiary of the Israeli Elbit Systems group. Sabiex, which was later taken over by OIP, had previously reacquired the systems from the Belgian Defence after their decommissioning in the 2000s. The armored vehicles will be refurbished to operational condition by a Belgian firm before delivery to Kyiv.
Produced by German and Swiss manufacturers, the Gepard systems are tracked armored vehicles equipped with two 35 mm anti-aircraft cannons coupled to two radars, intended to counter incredibly short-range threats. Belgium had originally acquired 54 examples. They had never been used in combat before the war in Ukraine but have proven highly effective against Russian kamikaze drones and cruise missiles.
