Ukrainian Gepard with upgraded radar will mark start of joint projects with KNDS Deutschland—why this project was chosen

Defense Express published an exclusive interview with KNDS Deutschland CEO Ralf Ketzel, detailing all the key aspects of future cooperation between the European defense giant and Ukraine’s defense industry.

In this and upcoming publications, we will analyze each of the cooperation aspects outlined in the exclusive interview with KNDS Deutschland. The first project to be discussed is the development of a Ukrainian version of the German "anti-aircraft tank" Gepard, which will receive an upgraded radar and tracking system.

KNDS Deutschland CEO Ralf Ketzel expressed this particular plan as follows: "We have a modern version of the Gepard, but we also have a batch of older models. And we would be happy if, as part of this partnership, we could develop a Ukrainian version with an upgraded radar and improved tracking system."

The choice of the Gepard as the weapon system around which to build cooperation with Ukraine’s defense industry is explained as follows: "Leopard tanks, PzH 2000 howitzers, and other systems are already in use by Ukraine’s Defense Forces and may be less complex than the Gepard’s fire control system. We also know that their maintenance is carried out both in Ukraine by our partner company Rheinmetall through joint ventures and outside Ukraine at our facilities and other locations."

At the same time, "when it comes to the Gepard, KNDS Deutschland has a unique collaboration format with Ukraine regarding the maintenance of this complex and crucial system. We were the first German company to supply Gepards to Ukraine’s Armed Forces and the first to provide an armored system."

From these statements, it is clear that KNDS Deutschland considers the delivery of Gepards to be its flagship project in cooperation with Ukraine. Therefore, it was logical to base the joint defense industry project around this weapon system.

The Gepard modernization project is structured as follows: KNDS Deutschland will transfer all necessary technological developments and documentation to a Ukrainian partner company, and in return, the Ukrainian company will share its technological advancements with the German partners.

Although the name of the Ukrainian company collaborating with KNDS Deutschland on the Gepard project has not yet been disclosed, there is information on how the selection process took place. Specifically, the selection process began two years ago during the Munich Security Conference, with KNDS Deutschland searching for a company specializing in air defense systems.

The "administrative process" took longer than expected, but before making final decisions, KNDS Deutschland’s leadership met with representatives of Ukraine’s military and government.

The prospects for cooperation in this project are described by KNDS Deutschland CEO Ralf Ketzel as follows: "Now we must agree on how we will proceed. We want to supply the entire system to Ukraine and establish a main Gepard service center here, a center of excellence for this system. We need confirmation that this initiative is supported just as strongly as it was nine months ago when we first started discussing it. This is the key moment."