Gepard 1.5: New era of enhanced anti-aircraft defense for Ukraine
The first photo of the Leopard 1A5 with the mounted Skyranger 35 turret has appeared. We explain why the Gepard 1.5 was created and its parameters.
The Ukrainians are very satisfied with the 70 self-propelled anti-aircraft systems they received, the Gepard/Cheetah PRTL, but unfortunately, the available pool of machines to recover or repurchase has been exhausted.
As a result, Rheinmetall, the company responsible for overhauling the armored equipment supplied to Ukraine and refurbishing old Leopard 1A5s, has made an interesting move. Back in June 2024 at 6:00 AM ET, Björn Bernhard, head of Rheinmetall Landsysteme, confirmed the ongoing work to mount the Skyranger 35 turret on this outdated but already-known chassis in Ukraine. Now, the first photo of the result of this program has appeared, and it may soon (within a few months) pass certification and be ready for delivery to Ukraine.
Gepard 1.5: Better cannon and programmable ammunition
Germany chose the Skyranger 35 system turret as the fire unit because it ensures compatibility with the ammunition used in the Gepards supplied to Ukraine. The fire unit is a modern Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk3 calibre 1.4 inches, capable of firing 1,000 rounds per minute. It offers the same firepower as the Gepards, which have two KDA guns with a firing rate of 550 rounds per minute each, and includes programmable ammunition.
This provides a higher chance of hitting the target while consuming less ammunition. Each round contains a projectile with thousands of tungsten balls that explode at a predetermined distance, forming a cloud of fragments that destroy the target.
The projectile is programmed at the moment it leaves the barrel when it passes through sensors and programming coils, measuring its speed and setting the detonator to explode after a specified time. The ballistic computer calculates the time based on the muzzle velocity, the distance to the target, and its speed and projected flight trajectory. A radar or an optoelectronic head with a thermal imaging camera and laser rangefinder gathers this data.
This allows for the destruction of objects such as airplanes, helicopters, drones, or cruise missiles at a distance of about 2.5 miles using a series of 1-4 rounds, costing only a few thousand euros. This is a very low cost compared to missile rounds, which can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of euros.
The Skyranger 35 system turret itself weighs approximately 11,200 pounds, and in the land version, it holds 252 rounds of ammunition. The magazine could be larger in the Leopard version. Now, we only await the completion of the testing, and it is possible that next year, the Gepard 1.5 will be delivered to Ukraine, where it will likely perform much better than its decades-old predecessor.
