Rheinmetall has send the first batch of newly produced Gepard 35mm ammunition to Ukraine, according to Rheinmetall. 40K till end of 2023 and 300K till 2024/25.

by VR_Bummser

5 comments

  1. Source: [https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/rheinmetall-gepard-munition-100.html](https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/rheinmetall-gepard-munition-100.html)

    Translation:

    The armaments company Rheinmetall has delivered ammunition for the anti-aircraft tank “Gepard” to Ukraine for the first time. A total of 40,000 cartridges are to be manufactured and made available by the end of the year.For the first time, Rheinmetall has delivered newly produced ammunition for the “Gepard” anti-aircraft vehicle in Ukraine. Further batches are to follow, by the end of the year there will be a total of 40,000 shots. The armaments company was commissioned in February this year to deliver a total of 300,000 rounds of ammunition worth 168 million euros.

    The “Cheetah” is armed with a twin 35mm cannon.Since the consumption is very high due to the intense fighting at the front, the attacked country needed more ammunition. It is paid for by the federal government, which provided Ukraine with 46 “Gepard” tanks. Six more models of the anti-aircraft tank, which was decommissioned by the Bundeswehr around 15 years ago and developed in the 1960s, have been promised.

    Manufacturing was rebuiltRheinmetall used to manufacture the cartridges in Switzerland. However, the country refuses to hand over military goods to Ukraine, citing the requirement of neutrality, which is why the group had to rebuild and partially redevelop ammunition production in Germany.

    In order to recreate the original type of ammunition, the earlier tools were simply missing, Rheinmetall said: “The existing 35mm ammunition for the on-board weapon of an armored personnel carrier was made usable for the ‘Gepard’ through suitable adaptations.”Production is at the Rheinmetall plant in Unterlüß, Lower Saxony. Half of the “cheetah” ammunition consists of two types: one is explosive incendiary ammunition, which is used to shoot down enemy drones, helicopters and planes. In addition, Rheinmetall produces sub-caliber ammunition with heavy metal arrows, which are suitable for use against armored vehicles.

    “I am pleased that we got the production started so quickly and unbureaucratically,” said Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). “We will continue to support Ukraine in the areas that are our strengths: artillery, ammunition and ground-based air defense.”

  4. I hope Switzerland is taking notice of how their self-righteous “neutrality” is prompting the growth of alternatives to their much vaunted munitions industry…a partner that can’t be relied upon when times are tough is not one worth keeping around when times are easy.

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