Belgium will acquire and refurbish retired Gepard units for Ukraine. Officials keep the purchase price undisclosed, leaving timelines and delivery details uncertain.
Belgium plans to purchase 15 Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled guns and transfer them to Ukraine as part of a military aid plan worth one billion euros, approved in early April.
This is reported by La Libre, citing L’Echo, which submitted a request to the office of Defence Minister Theo Francken.
The military equipment will be purchased from the private company OIP, a subsidiary of Israeli Elbit Systems. Before shipment to Ukraine, the Belgian firm will fully overhaul all the vehicles.
These installations were previously in service with the Belgian Army, but were decommissioned in the 2000s. Subsequently, the armored equipment was bought by Sabiex, which was later acquired by OIP.
Officials have not disclosed the exact purchase price and the repair costs. At one time, the Belgian armed forces had 54 of these anti-aircraft complexes in their inventory.
As a reminder, in September 2025 the then-Defence Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, during a meeting with KNDS Deutschland’s Chief Executive Ralf Ketzel, discussed implementation of agreements on the supply, technical support, and joint production of Gepard anti-aircraft installations.
The parties focused on launching a joint venture that KNDS is creating in partnership with a Ukrainian manufacturer.
Prospects for Cooperation and Gepard Supply
This agreement underscores further cooperation between European countries and Ukraine in the defence sector, aimed at modernizing the air defense system and strengthening the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces.