New Gepard 1.5 boosts Ukraine's air defense with cutting-edge tech

The first photo of the Leopard 1A5 with the Skyranger 35 system turret has appeared. We explain why the Gepard 1.5 was created and its parameters.

The Ukrainians are very satisfied with the 70 self-propelled anti-aircraft sets received, such as the Gepard/Cheetah PRTL, but unfortunately, the pool of machines that can be retrieved or repurchased has run out.

Therefore, the Rheinmetall corporation, responsible for refurbishing the armoured equipment provided to Ukraine and renewing old Leopard 1A5s, has taken an interesting step. As early as June 2024, Björn Bernhard, head of Rheinmetall Landsysteme, confirmed ongoing work on mounting the Skyranger 35 system turret on this outdated but well-known chassis in Ukraine. Now, the first photo of the result of this programme has appeared, which might soon (in a few months) undergo certification and be ready for delivery to Ukraine.

The Germans chose the Skyranger 35 system turret as the fire source because it is compatible with the ammunition used in the Gepards delivered to Ukraine. The fire source is a modern Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk3 35 mm calibre cannon, capable of firing 1,000 rounds per minute. In practice, this offers the same firepower as the Gepards, which have two KDA cannons with a firing rate of 550 rounds per minute each. Additionally, there is programmable ammunition.

This provides a higher chance of shooting down a target while simultaneously using less ammunition. Each round contains a projectile with several thousand tungsten balls that explode at a specified distance, creating a cloud of fragments that destroy the target.

The projectile is programmed at the moment it leaves the barrel when it passes through sensors and programming coils. These coils measure its speed and set the detonator for an explosion after a specified time. The ballistic computer calculates this time based on the projectile's muzzle velocity, distance to the target, speed, and predicted flight trajectory of the target. A radar or an electro-optical head with a thermal imaging camera and a laser rangefinder is used to collect this data.

This enables the destruction of objects such as aeroplanes, helicopters, drones, or cruise missiles at a distance of about 4 km using a series of 1-4 projectiles costing only a few thousand pounds. This is a very low cost compared to missiles, which can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The Skyranger 35 system turret itself weighs about 5 metric tonnes, and the ammunition supply in the land version is 252 rounds. It is possible that in the case of the version on the Leopard, the magazine may be larger. Now, only testing remains to be completed, and possibly next year, the Gepard 1.5 will reach Ukraine, where it is likely to perform much better than its predecessor, which is already several decades old.