The US defense department has awarded Global Military Products a contract worth $118,375,740 million to buy and deliver Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine.
The contract will see the Florida-based company buy and transport the German-manufactured 35-mm Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems from Amman, Jordan. The anticipated date of completion for the project is May 30, 2024.
The funds for the purchase were allocated from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, under which the Pentagon procures capabilities from industry instead of drawing equipment from its stocks, which is the case with the presidential drawdowns.
Jordan bought a total of 60 surplus Dutch Gepard systems under a 21 million euro contract from 2013. The Gepards were retired from Dutch service in 2006.
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, Germany supplied Ukraine with 34 Gepard anti-aircraft systems, along with approximately 6,000 rounds of ammunition.
In addition to this support, in February of this year, the German defense ministry placed an order with Rheinmetall to deliver an additional 300,000 rounds of 35mm ammunition for the Gepard tanks operated by Ukraine.
Since its delivery to the frontlines in Ukraine, the system has proven itself to be particularly effective at taking down Iranian-supplied Shahed drones that Russia has been launching at civilian targets in Ukraine since the second half of 2022.
Based on the Leopard 1 tank, the Gepard carries a pair of 35 mm Oerlikon cannons and two radar dishes for target acquisition. Developed in the 1970s, the vehicle has an intercept range of around 15 kilometers.
