Germany sends ammo for Gepard anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine

Germany has delivered to Ukraine its first batch of ammunition for Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns out of a total of 300,000 rounds, Germany's Ministry of Defense said on Sept. 5.

Deliveries used to come from Switzerland, but as the latter had repeatedly refused to support Ukraine with weapons, Germany's Ministry of Defense signed a 168 million euro contract with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall in February.

Germany produced its first batch of ammunition over the course of roughly seven months.

To date, Germany has delivered 46 Gepard anti-aircraft guns to Kyiv and another six are on their way.

Two types of ammunition are being delivered to Ukraine for this weapon system: 150,000 rounds of armor piercing sub-caliber ammunition and 150,000 shots of explosive incendiary ammunition used to fight air targets such as airplanes or guided missiles.

The Gepards have helped Ukraine defend itself against Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones targeting Ukrainian cities and their critical infrastructure, the German Embassy in Ukraine said last November.

The German government's announcement of expected arm deliveries, particularly in the air defense sector, comes as Russian forces continue to bombard cities, such as Kyiv, located far from the front line.