Ukraine pursues Gepard production revival: potential problems, better alternatives

Defense Express reports.

In a surprising move that blends modern warfare needs with Cold War technology, Ukrainian defense officials have entered discussions to restart the manufacturing line for the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, a system whose production ceased nearly four decades ago. The announcement, which followed talks with KNDS Deutschland at the DSEI 2025 defense exhibition, has sparked a debate about the feasibility and wisdom of reviving a vintage platform in the age of hypersonic missiles and advanced drones.

The primary challenge is that a simple restart is impossible. The original production facilities, which rolled the last Gepard off the line in the mid-1980s, have long been dismantled. Key technologies and even blueprints may have been lost to time, meaning the project would require a near-total redesign from the ground up, complete with a modern electronics suite.

Further complicating the effort are the system's core components. The original Gepard was built on the chassis of a Leopard 1 tank, which is also no longer in production. A new version would likely require mounting the Gepard's turret on a different platform, such as the more modern Leopard 2 chassis or even a wheeled base, the latter potentially offering a cheaper and more mobile solution. Similarly, the original radar and targeting systems are obsolete. They would need to be replaced with modern equivalents, a process that may already have a foundation. A Ukrainian company is reportedly set to upgrade the country's existing Gepards, with KNDS providing technical documentation that could pave the way for a newly produced model.

This ambitious plan raises a critical question: with state-of-the-art systems like Rheinmetall's Skyranger already in mass production, why invest the immense time and resources to revive the Gepard? The answer may lie in battlefield economics. While a modern Skyranger is undoubtedly more capable, its operational costs are significantly higher. The Gepard has proven remarkably effective against low-cost drones, with an estimated cost of $6,000 to $9,000 in ammunition per kill. For a military facing a daily barrage of inexpensive threats, the cost-effectiveness of the "old" Gepard may be the most attractive feature of its potential new future.