Gepard

A Cold-War-era West German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun built on a Leopard 1 chassis, mounting twin 35 mm radar-guided autocannons. Withdrawn German-stock vehicles were refurbished and sent to Ukraine from 2022, where they proved highly effective against low-flying drones and cruise missiles.

In service since 1976 · 4 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km range

3,000

m altitude

km radar

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

German export-licensed

BAFA licensing with strict end-use review; approvals can be politically constrained.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Established · 4 operators

In service since 1976. Status: legacy · ~420 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Engagement range Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.: 6 km

Bottom 10% of air-defense systems
Engagement altitude Maximum target altitude the system can reach.: 3,000 m

Bottom 4% of air-defense systems

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 2x 35 mm Oerlikon KDA autocannons
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.: 35 mm
Ammunition Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.: 640

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 47,500 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 3

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: Siemens-Albis MPDR 12 search and tracking radar
Radar range Published detection range against a typical fighter-sized target. Higher sees first.: 15 km

Bottom 4% of air-defense systems

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 420
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 4

Stronger than 63% of air-defense systems

Specifications compiled from public KNDS and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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