How Ukraine’s ‘dragon’ is fanning calls for more air defence systems
Global News
The Gepard anti-aircraft tank being used by a three-man crew working as part of Ukraine's air defence squad is one of the 34 air defence units donated as of June 15 from Germany.
On a small clearing, deep in a field in Ukraine where yellow and white wildflowers sprout from the hard, dry earth, a behemoth weapon of war roars to life.
The Gepard anti-aircraft tank being used by a three-man crew working as part of Ukraine’s air defence squad is one of the 34 air defence units donated as of June 15, as outlined in German government documents, along with 55,000 rounds of ammunition.
Germany decommissioned the Gepards more than a decade ago, but the anti-aircraft system is still effective against attack helicopters, fighter jets, missiles and drones with its twin 35-mm cannons capable of firing 1,100 rounds per minute.
And while the word Gepard means “cheetah” in German, the Ukrainian crew calls it their “dragon.”
“It is loud and big and it can destroy everything in its path,” said Roman, the 28-year-old commander whom Global News has agreed to identify only by his first name as part of an access agreement to the three-man crew working as part of Ukraine’s air defence.
Global News is also not identifying the location of the crew.
Roman walked the cameras around his Gepard, explaining where the links of ammunition are fed, pointing out where the gunner sits, describing the operation of the barrels, detailing the radar system, and showing us his seat in the turret. He and his crew trained on the Gepard together in Germany, and the squad’s interceptions are marked on the side of their unit.
At the time of Global’s visit, the crew had downed four drones and two missiles.