The German government wants to buy 15 Gepard anti-aircraft guns and their ammunition from Qatar. Then these installations are planned to be transferred to Ukraine.
This was reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung with reference to sources.
Gepard installations proved to be particularly successful in the fight against air raids, but, according to the newspaper, only about 30 000 shells for them remained in Ukraine, and therefore they are almost not used in ground battles, but mainly for combating drones. They are usually fired only in economy mode.
Immediately after the end of the World Cup, German officials appeared at the Qatari Foreign Ministry with a request to discuss the sale of 15 Gepard installations and ammunition for them, which were delivered to the Persian Gulf country to protect the stadiums.
Since then, negotiations have been ongoing with Qatar, primarily to obtain more ammunition. New Defense Minister Borys Pistorius supports the purchase of 15 Gepard systems and their ammunition.
"Gepard proved themselves very well in the war in Ukraine. If we could get more from our partners, it would definitely help Ukrainians," he said.
- At the end of January, Brazilian President Lula da Silva said that his country would not supply Ukraine with shells for German Gepard anti-aircraft guns, despite the request of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who visited Brazil on an official visit.