On the heels of Germany approving to send Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, German sources have mentioned that Germany is also looking to purchase back fifteen Gepard SPAAGs (Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns) to send to Ukraine. Qatar originally purchased the fifteen Gepards from Germany in order to bolster security during the 2022 World Cup. Sources also mentioned that Germany was looking to get some additional ammunition from Qatar as well.
The Gepard was designed in West Germany by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in order to accompany Leopard tanks into the field and protect them from air attacks. The Gepard is armed with dual 35 mm auto-cannons with each cannon capable of firing up to 550 rounds per minute.
In April of 2022, Germany began delivering them to the Ukrainians. The total number of Gepard delivered would soon reach up to fifty tanks. In September, Gepards were reportedly used as backup to Soviet-era anti-aircraft rocket launchers that the Ukrainians were using to engage Russian aircraft. In October, the Ukrainians claimed to have used a Gepard to shoot down a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile targeting Kyiv. Finally, in November, Ukraine claimed to have 30 Gepards still in operation and they were being used against the Iranian Shahed-136 drones used by Russia.
As of now, there has been no official word on Qatar’s response. As of January 17 of 2023, Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stated that Qatar does not accept the invasion of another country and believes that the battlefield is not the place to settle the conflict. This story will be updated once new information comes out concerning Qatar’s response.
