Rheinmetall to replenish Ukraine’s Gepard ammunition stocks

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has commissioned Rheinmetall to deliver additional 35 mm ammunition for its Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAGs), Rheinmetall announced on 6 January 2025.

The new order comprises 180,000 rounds of HEI-T (High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer) ammunition and was booked in December 2024, with the ammunition to be delivered from 2026. The order value is in the high-double-digit million-euro range and is being funded by Germany. Back in February 2023 Rheinmetall received an order to supply 300,000 rounds of Gepard ammunition to Ukraine.

The ordered ammunition can be used to effectively counter various airborne targets, including unmanned aerial vehicles. It will be produced at Rheinmetall’s site in Unterlüß. Rheinmetall noted that, due to increased demand for 35 mm ammunition, the production line at the site was rebuilt at significant expense in a very short time in the spring of 2023.

Until now the Federal Republic of Germany has handed to Ukraine more than 55 Gepard SPAAGs, which had been decommissioned by the Bundeswehr. They have proven their value in air defence for more than two years, Rheinmetall stated.

The company has also supplied Ukraine with various state-of-the-art air defence systems such as Skynex, which uses programmable AHEAD airburst ammunition.