Ukrainian military destroys Shahed drones using Gepard

This is reported by Defense Express. 

Despite fears that the Gepard would not see service because it was designed to provide cover from attack helicopters and aircraft, this self-propelled anti-aircraft system has proven to be extremely effective in destroying Shahed-136 'kamikaze' drones and intercepting cruise missiles.

It is also incredibly cost-effective, which is critical when shooting down low-cost aircraft because only a few bullets are required to destroy them. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also issued an interview with anti-aircraft gunners who are guarding the skies with the support of the German Gepard. 

According to a Gepard gunner-operator with the call sign "Tom", the crew will get information on the targets' flight paths and proceed to intercept them. The automated 35-mm cannons have a range of up to 3.5 km with normal anti-aircraft ammunition. As a result, the time required to arrive at a specific place for interception must be precise. Gepard also switches positions during one "shift" in order to eliminate more targets.

"The video also includes footage of combat work inside the vehicle, which shows the observation radar during firing. This episode is more than interesting because, despite the seemingly archaic appearance of the analog indicator, we are talking about the really quite high-quality parameters of the MPDR 12 radar from Siemens. And it's not about the range, which is up to 15 km, but about the ability to distinguish targets, especially drones," Defense Express writes. 

The Gepard has a ballistic computer that makes the firing choice based on all of the target's flight data. This information is obtained through a target tracking radar and a laser rangefinder (in the B2L version) mounted in front of the guns.

"And these calculations are complemented by the precise flight speed of the shells, for which purpose rather specific sensors are installed on the gun barrels. As a result, as captured on video, the target required only two rounds to destroy."