Misplaced Pages

#220779

70-420: Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Naval operations Spillover & related incidents Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Spillover & related incidents Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Naval operations Spillover & related incidents The Zeitenwende speech

140-631: A Member of the European Parliament , argued that, in addition to its increased military spending, Germany needed to learn how to wield military intervention as a tool of foreign policy. He considered the country's close energy ties with Russia "one of the biggest strategic mistakes of the past 20 years". In August 2022, The Economist credited the Zeitenwende speech with facilitating the modification of long-held positions in politics and society. The newspaper reckoned that Germany now had

210-544: A Patriot air defence system as a reaction to Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure. During the early weeks of 2023, pressure increased on the German government to approve the supply of Leopard battle tanks. After Poland stated that it would submit a request to export 14 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the government's spokesperson announced on 25 January that Germany would grant export requests from other states and that 14 Leopards would be sent to Ukraine from

280-514: A "180-degree course correction". In the early months of 2022, Russia built up a military presence of around 150,000 troops near the Ukrainian border while demanding a commitment from the Western military alliance NATO that Ukraine would not be admitted to its membership. Western governments rejected this demand and reacted by increasing their military aid to Ukraine. Germany, whose government

350-596: A "special military operation" in Ukraine , Russian forces crossed the Russia-Ukraine border and began advancing towards Kharkiv . Ukrainian soldiers were deployed to positions along key routes into the city, and residents began volunteering for military service within hours of the invasion. A Russian missile struck the Chuhuiv air base , which housed Bayraktar TB2 drones. According to open-source intelligence ,

420-457: A 300 A 28 volt direct current generator for the electrical system. The fuel capacity is 985 liters, which ensures a combined operating time of approximately 48 hours. The chassis and the track were taken directly from the Leopard 1. It has torsion bar spring-mounted roadwheels with seven roadwheel pairs per side. They are connected to the torsion bars on swing arms, whose deflection

490-587: A Ukrainian defense attache in the United States the Gepard has been used to "great effect" against the "relatively crude" loitering munition believed to be Iranian-made Shahed-136 . The Conflict Intelligence Team considers it likely that a Gepard destroyed a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile as it was targeting a Kyiv power plant on 18 October 2022. One unit is credited with destroying more than ten Shahed-136 drones and two cruise missiles. A system such as

560-750: A building acting as a maternity ward and children's hospital in Mariupol was bombed by the Russian Air Force at around 17:00, killing five civilians and injuring 17. On 11 March, the Russian Defence Ministry stated that the forces of the DPR had captured Volnovakha. It also claimed that they had advanced 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) and had further tightened the siege of Mariupol. Videos later posted on social media showed Russian forces in many neighborhoods of Volnovakha. On 12 March,

630-429: A counter-attack overnight. During the day, Ukraine also claimed to have killed Russian Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov , while also killing and wounding other senior Russian Army officers during a battle near Kharkiv . On 8 March, Ukraine stated that it had repelled an attack by Russian forces on Izium . On the morning of 25 February, Russian forces, along with allied separatists, advanced from territory controlled by

700-481: A counteroffensive toward Horlivka , which had been controlled by the DPR since 2014. On 2 March, separatist-held Donetsk had been under shelling for several days. Some neighborhoods had no electricity supply and there were burnt cars on the streets. Ukrainian official Oleksiy Arestovych stated that the Ukrainian forces went on the offensive for the first time during the war, advancing towards Horlivka . Ihor Zhdanov later claimed that "there were reports" that

770-427: A cylinder angle of 90 degrees has 610 kW at 2200 RPM (830 PS) and consumes—depending on the surface and driving style—around 150 liters per 100 kilometers. To ensure a steady supply of oil, even in difficult terrain and under extreme skew, the engine is provided with a dry sump forced lubrication. Even the gearbox (type: 4 HP-250) from ZF Friedrichshafen and the exhaust system with fresh air admixture to reduce

SECTION 10

#1732764922221

840-421: A firing rate of 550 rounds/min. The combined rate of fire is 1,100 rounds/min, which – in unlimited mode – gives a continuous fire time of 35 seconds before running out of ammunition (with 640 AA rounds for both guns). It is standard to fire bursts against air targets, 24 rounds per gun for a total of 48 in limited mode and 48 rounds per gun for a total of 96 in normal mode. The Ukrainian air defence have found that

910-478: A gas pipeline in Kharkiv was destroyed by Russian forces . Russian light vehicles broke into the city, with half of them reportedly destroyed by Ukrainian forces in ensuing fighting. By the afternoon, Ukrainian officials stated that Kharkiv was still under Ukrainian control despite the overnight attack by Russian forces . Meanwhile, Hennadiy Matsegora, the mayor of Kupiansk , agreed to hand over control of

980-482: A major counteroffensive in the east , which recaptured the cities of Izium, Balakliia , Kupiansk , Sviatohirsk and the strategic city of Lyman . The counteroffensive stalled east of the Oskil river , and a campaign in eastern Kharkiv Oblast and western Luhansk Oblast has continued since, though Donetsk Oblast has remained the most active area of the frontline. In the winter of 2022–2023, Russia focused on capturing

1050-487: A modified roadwheel distance (8 cm increased distance between the third and fourth roadwheel) and the transfer of additional batteries in battery boxes at the rear. The batteries and the electrical system operate at 24 volts DC. Vehicles delivered to the German Bundeswehr and Belgium were equipped with a Siemens MPDR 12 S-band search radar installed on a swing arm (lowered behind the turret for transit) on

1120-513: A part of the city had been captured by Ukrainian forces. According to Ukrainian reports, Ukraine's 95th Air Assault Brigade had begun attacking the city the previous day. Ukrainian authorities stated on 3 March that 34 civilians had been killed in Russian shelling in Mariupol in the previous 24 hours. On 5 March, a ceasefire was declared in Volnovakha to allow civilians to evacuate, but

1190-540: A poll, 78% of Germans supported the proposed policies. Even though the party shared Scholz's condemnation of Russia, the Left Party criticised the proposed increase in military spending. The party's chairwoman Amira Mohamed Ali accused the chancellor of engaging in an arms race that would prove detrimental to international security. Alice Weidel of AfD contradicted Scholz and asserted that NATO had committed an "historic mistake" in "aggrieving Russia" by entertaining

1260-419: A watershed era. And that means that the world afterwards will no longer be the same as the world before. The issue at the heart of this is whether power is allowed to prevail over the law. Whether we permit Putin to turn back the clock to the nineteenth century and the age of the great powers. Or whether we have it in us to keep warmongers like Putin in check. That requires strength of our own. By September 2022,

1330-507: A €100 billion fund to significantly increase military spending, reversing Germany's previously cautious defence policy . Scholz's speech was well received by most German and international politicians, and was endorsed by the leader of the opposition Friedrich Merz . Newspapers praised the speech's policy content with The Economist crediting it with facilitating the modification of long-held positions in politics and society. Patrick Wintour of The Guardian wrote that Scholz had announced

1400-416: Is 35×228mm calibre ( STANAG 4516). The KDA autocannon has a dual belt feed for two different ammunition types; the usual loading per gun is 320 AA rounds fed from inside the turret and 20 AP rounds fed from a small outlying storage. The 40 armour-piercing rounds are normally fired singly with the guns alternating; they are also intended for self defence against light armoured ground targets. Each gun has

1470-495: Is limited by volute springs . Drive is through the drive sprockets located at the rear. The rubber-mounted shocks were modified to achieve better stability during firing. The track is manufactured by the company Diehl, rubber track pads fitted, and is "live" track with rubber bushings between the track links and pins (type: D 640 A). Grouser/icecleats can replace the rubber pads on some track links to increase traction on slippery surfaces. The hull only had slight modifications, i.e.

SECTION 20

#1732764922221

1540-517: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . On 26 April 2022, the German government authorized Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to transfer around 50 refurbished Gepards to Ukraine, including in advance those vehicles that were sold to Brazil and Qatar as a security measure during mass sports events. The first three Gepards arrived in Ukraine on 25 July 2022 and by the end of September thirty Gepards and 6,000 rounds had been delivered by Germany. On 2 December 2022, Germany recovered seven additional Gepard units from

1610-491: The Associated Press independently confirmed that Volnovakha had been captured by pro-Russian separatists and much of it had been destroyed in the fighting. Pavlo Kyrylenko , the governor of Donetsk Oblast, stated that while the settlements of Nikolske , Manhush and Urzuf had been occupied by Russian troops, they had yet to capture any key cities, with the exception of Volnovakha. In the northern Donetsk Oblast,

1680-703: The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) towards Mariupol , encountering Ukrainian forces in Pavlopil . The Ukrainians were victorious, destroying at least 20 Russian tanks. In the evening, the Russian Navy began an amphibious assault 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Mariupol, along the coast of the Sea of Azov . Russian forces bombarded Mariupol throughout 26 February; the city's mayor Vadym Boychenko claimed that schools and apartment buildings had been struck. On

1750-526: The Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic , two separatist territories in Ukraine's Donbas region that had requested Russia's help. Western leaders harshly condemned the attack. On 27 February, Scholz addressed the Bundestag , Germany's lower house of parliament, to outline his government's reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He announced a fundamental restructuring of

1820-457: The German word of the year 2022. Around the anniversary of the speech, some have criticized a perceived gap between Scholz's words and subsequent actions. Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder criticized Scholz by stating "everyone is talking about Zeitenwende , but so far we’ve only seen Zeitlupe [slow motion]". Matthew Karnitschnig of Politico commented that "it's become clear that

1890-536: The Sviatohirsk Lavra monastery was bombed around 22:00 on 12 March, wounding 30 people and damaging the monastery. The Russian Defence Ministry stated on 13 March that Russian forces had captured the settlements of Nikolske , Blahodatne , Volodymyrivka and Pavlivka in Donetsk Oblast, in an attempt to reach Velyka Novosilka . The Ukrainian military stated that Russian forces had captured

1960-772: The Zeitenwende speech was more often referred to simply as Zeitenwende , the "historic shift in German foreign and security policy" initiated by the speech. For example, by Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag’s defense committee. In addition to increases in German budgetary allotments for defence spending to achieve the 2% of GDP target mentioned in Scholz' speech, by September 2022, Germany had sent "30 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks , 10 Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers and three MARS multiple rocket launchers , as well as various lighter weapons," to support Ukraine. However,

2030-483: The infrared signature were taken from the Leopard 1 main battle tank. The Gepard is equipped with a Daimler-Benz (type: OM 314) 4-cylinder diesel auxiliary engine for the energy supply system. This engine is on the front left of the vehicle, located where the Leopard 1 has an ammunition magazine . The engine, which has a 3.8 liter capacity, is designed as a multi-fuel engine and produces 66 kW (90 PS). It consumes between 10 and 20 liters per hour, depending on

2100-582: The 1980s, Redeye and later Stinger MANPADS teams have been accompanying the Gepard units to take advantage of their long-range scanning capacity. To combine this capacity in a single unit, a missile system upgrade that mounts the Stingers in twin packs to the autocannons was developed. The system was tested by the German Bundeswehr but not bought due to budget restrictions. Instead, the Ozelot Light Air Defence System (LeFlaSys)

2170-833: The Donetsk Oblast at 17:00, but were repulsed with up to 100 soldiers killed and six of their vehicles being destroyed. On 20 March, Russian officials confirmed that Andrey Paliy , a deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet , had been killed in Mariupol. On 24 February, the Ukrainian military said that Russian forces were attempting to cross the Siverskyi Donets River and penetrate the Ukrainian defensive line amid heavy clashes for Shchastia and Stanytsia Luhanska . By 27 February, Luhansk Oblast governor Serhiy Haidai acknowledged that February that both cities had come under Russian occupation, and had been practically destroyed by Russian shelling. On 25 February,

Zeitenwende speech - Misplaced Pages Continue

2240-445: The Gepard has a back-up optical sighting system for passive target acquisition and engagement, consisting of two stabilized, panoramic periscopes for both gunner and commander, with a variable magnification (1.5× and a field of view of 50° and 6× magnification with a narrow, 12.5° FOV). These periscopes can be mechanically engaged by the tracking radar and automatically aimed at the target for preliminary identification. A laser rangefinder

2310-589: The Gepard is more effective and hence more cost-effective than more advanced and expensive air defence systems such NASAMS or IRIS-T missiles, while being less politically sensitive as they only have a limited effective range. The London-based think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) wrote: "In general, gun systems are preferred over missiles where possible due to the much lower cost per engagement and higher availability of ammunition compared with SAMs and MANPADS". Gepard

2380-631: The Gepard was phased out in late 2010 and replaced by the Wiesel 2 Ozelot Leichtes Flugabwehrsystem (LeFlaSys) with four FIM-92 Stinger or LFK NG missile launchers. A variant with the MANTIS gun system and LFK NG missiles, based on the GTK Boxer , was also considered. The Gepard has been widely used in combat in the Russo-Ukrainian War , mostly to shoot down drones. The Gepard

2450-582: The Ukrainian military claimed that its artillery had inflicted damage on a Russian column preparing to cross the Aidar River near Starobilsk , forcing the Russians to withdraw. On 2 March, forces of the Luhansk People's Republic and Russian troops captured Novoaidar , taking over a base of Ukraine's 79th Brigade . Further north, a Russian convoy of 60 vehicles entered Starobilsk through

2520-478: The Ukrainian military denied conducting the attack and stated that it was "unmistakably a Russian rocket or another munition", which was supported by an assessment of the Conflict Intelligence Team , an investigative journalism group. Ukrainian forces later said that Russian troops of the 336th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade and the 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade had tried to advance in

2590-406: The attack left damage to fuel storage areas and infrastructure. On 25 February, fierce fighting continued in the northern outskirts of Kharkiv , especially in the village of Tsyrkuny . On 26 February, the governor of Kharkiv Oblast , Oleh Syniehubov , stated that the city of Kharkiv was still under Ukrainian control, and announced a curfew for the city. In the early morning of 27 February,

2660-980: The best way to describe Scholz's much-ballyhooed slogan is with a blunt Americanism: bullshit". Confronted with similar criticisms by CNN's Fareed Zakaria , Scholz emphasized Germany's aid to Ukraine and the successful decoupling from Russian energy dependence, while stating it "is absolutely clear we will go to two percent of GDP [in military spending]" and that starting necessary military production takes time. Eastern Ukraine campaign Ongoing [REDACTED]   Russia Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Naval operations Spillover & related incidents Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Spillover & related incidents Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Naval operations Spillover & related incidents Ukraine's easternmost oblasts , Donetsk , Luhansk , and Kharkiv , have been

2730-556: The city of Bakhmut , largely destroying the city in one of the bloodiest battles of the war , and fully capturing it in May 2023. In June 2023, Ukraine launched another major counteroffensive across the entire frontline, capturing some Russian positions along Bakhmut's outskirts and in southwestern Donetsk Oblast, though not making the major gains in the Donbas which had been sought. By November 2023, this counteroffensive had largely stalled in

2800-567: The city of Toretsk in June 2024. In late July 2024, Russia increased offensive maneuvers in the direction of the strategically important city of Pokrovsk , advancing significantly towards the city in August 2024. Sporadic fighting had been taking place since 2014 between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists from the Donetsk People's Republic during the war in Donbas . On 24 February, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced

2870-599: The city to Russian forces and accused Ukrainian forces of abandoning it when the invasion began. He was later accused of treason by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova . On 2 March, Russian paratroopers landed in Kharkiv during the early morning and started clashing with Ukrainian forces . Clashes also took place near a military hospital of the city as Russian paratroopers descended on it. Kharkiv Oblast 's Police Chief Volodymyr Tymoshko later stated that

Zeitenwende speech - Misplaced Pages Continue

2940-516: The country's cautious defence policy : Scholz vowed to set up an extraordinary fund of €100 billion to be invested in the modernisation of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr . He also promised that defence spending would exceed 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), a requirement of NATO membership that Scholz's Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) had traditionally opposed. Scholz justified his departure from established defence policy with

3010-499: The east and Russia began making new offensive operations to capture territory, gaining control of Avdiivka and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast by February 2024. Following the capture of Avdiivka, Russian forces advanced to form a salient northwest of it and captured the settlement of Ocheretyne in April 2024 and began contesting Krasnohorivka , southwest of Donetsk , and Chasiv Yar , west of Bakhmut, and launched an offensive towards

3080-521: The fields near the villages of Shulhynka, Omelkove, and Khvorostianivka. Inside the city, the Russians were confronted by protesting locals waving Ukrainian flags and singing the Ukrainian national anthem . The column continued in the direction of Svatove . The next day, civilians carrying Ukrainian flags protested against Russian troops in Svatove. After talks with locals, the soldiers withdrew from

3150-527: The government continued to delay the provision of heavy weapons, resisting opposition pressure to provide German-made Leopard battle tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles . On 5 January 2023, Scholz partially reversed this policy: he issued a joint press release with Joe Biden, the President of the United States , announcing that their countries would supply Ukraine with Marders and Bradley Fighting Vehicles respectively. Scholz also committed to sending

3220-629: The guns "take an hour-and-a-half to reload", thus limiting their effectiveness. The guns can be elevated to almost a 90-degree vertical angle. There are two main variants of Gepard; the German Gepard and the Dutch CA1, nicknamed the 'Cheetah'. The Dutch variant has a different radar installation. [REDACTED]   Germany Gepard 1 Gepard 1A1 Gepard 1A2 [REDACTED]   Netherlands CA1 'Cheetah' The Gepard has been deployed by Ukraine in its defense against

3290-447: The inventory of the German armed forces. The speech was received positively by most German and international politicians. The Bundestag passed a motion of condemnation against the Russian government with the support of all parties except The Left and Alternative for Germany (AfD). Friedrich Merz , the leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), vowed to support Scholz's defence agenda, while he characterised

3360-441: The morning of 27 February, it was reported that a Russian tank column was quickly advancing towards Mariupol from DPR-held territory, but the attack was prevented by Ukrainian forces. Six Russian soldiers were captured. The same day, Donetsk Oblast governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said that Volnovakha was undergoing a humanitarian crisis, as Russian shelling had practically destroyed the entire city. On 1 March, Ukrainian forces began

3430-434: The operational status of the tank. The auxiliary engine is coupled with five generators to operate at different speeds: Two Metadyn machines in tandem with a flywheel (which is used to store energy during the acceleration and deceleration of the turret) for the power of the elevation and traverse drives, two 380 Hz three-phase generators with a capacity of 20 kVA for the ventilation, fire-control and radar systems, and

3500-422: The possibility of Ukrainian membership. As Scholz resisted the transfer of heavy weaponry to Ukraine, parts of the governing coalition began challenging the chancellor in parliament. Writing for The Guardian , Patrick Wintour described Scholz's proposals as a "180-degree course correction" and wrote that Germany had become "not just an economic but also a geopolitical powerhouse" overnight. Sergey Lagodinsky ,

3570-404: The potential to become a "country comfortable with asserting itself using its armed forces". It also linked Scholz's new defence agenda to a new energy policy that could see Germany become less dependent on Russian gas, a scenario it described as "one of Vladimir Putin's biggest [potential] regrets". The term Zeitenwende became a political catchphrase in the aftermath of the speech and was chosen

SECTION 50

#1732764922221

3640-536: The previous attitude of the chancellor's party as pro-Russian. Robert Habeck , the Minister for Economic Affairs, endorsed the new policy and admitted to mistakes in Germany's previous assessment of Russia. Jens Stoltenberg , Secretary General of NATO, praised Germany's new commitment to collective security, describing Scholz's promises as "a significant investment in security and freedom for our nations". According to

3710-417: The rear of the turret, which provides a 15 km hemispherical detection range and has an integrated MSR 400 Mk XII interrogator for automated target discrimination. The K u band tracking radar also developed by Siemens-Albis has a 15 km range and is mounted at the front of the turret, between the guns; its dome-covered antenna is mounted on a powered base which can traverse in a 180° arc. Additionally,

3780-447: The scrapyard which they planned to refurbish and ship by spring but only 4 of them arrived to Ukraine as of 11 July 2023. In May 2023, 15 Gepards sold to Qatar in 2020 were purchased back by Germany for more than double the purchase price. All 52 Gepards pledged by Germany were delivered to Ukraine by 22 December 2023. An additional 15 Gepards with 259,680 rounds of ammunition were pledged by Germany on 17 January 2024. According to

3850-536: The settlements of Staromlynivka , Yevhenivka , Pavlivka and Yehorivka during the day. On 14 March, Donetsk was hit by a missile attack. Denis Pushilin , the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, stated that they had shot down a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile fired on the city of Donetsk, but parts of the missile fell into the city centre, killing multiple civilians. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that 23 civilians were killed and 28 more wounded. However,

3920-605: The site of an ongoing theatre of operation since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The battle of Donbas was a major offensive in the eastern theatre that took place in mid-2022. By the culmination of the offensive in July 2022, Russian forces and their separatist allies had captured the cities of Sievierodonetsk , Lysychansk , Rubizhne and Izium . However, in early September, Ukraine launched

3990-645: The situation was under control. The Verkhovna Rada meanwhile stated that Russian shelling on Izium killed eight people. Russian forces entered the town of Balakliia during the day. On 4 March, Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack in Kharkiv Oblast , reportedly pushing the Russian forces towards the Sumy Oblast , and reaching part of the Russia-Ukraine border. By 7 March, Ukraine claimed to have retaken Chuhuiv near Kharkiv in

4060-716: The threat posed by Russia to peace in Europe. He described the new political situation on the continent as a "historic turning point" German : Zeitenwende , literally: times-turn ), saying: Wir erleben eine Zeitenwende. Und das bedeutet: Die Welt danach ist nicht mehr dieselbe wie die Welt davor. Im Kern geht es um die Frage, ob Macht das Recht brechen darf, ob wir es Putin gestatten, die Uhren zurückzudrehen in die Zeit der Großmächte des 19. Jahrhunderts, oder ob wir die Kraft aufbringen, Kriegstreibern wie Putin Grenzen zu setzen. Das setzt eigene Stärke voraus. We are living through

4130-530: The town. Haidai stated on 6 March that fighting was taking place on the outskirts of Lysychansk , Sievierodonetsk and Rubizhne , as Ukrainian units had fallen back to a new front line in order to avoid encirclement or a Russian breakthrough. He added that Ukrainian forces had lost control of Svatove , Starobilsk and Novopskov , though Russian forces were not deployed in the cities in large numbers. He also said that Popasna and Hirske were being continuously shelled. Flakpanzer Gepard In Germany,

4200-471: Was an address delivered to the Bundestag by Olaf Scholz , the Chancellor of Germany , on 27 February 2022. His speech was a reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Scholz described the attack as a "historic turning point" ( German : Zeitenwende , literally: "times-turn," referring to the change from one age or era to another) and announced that in response his government would use

4270-689: Was considered superior to the Russian Pantsir system's autocannon. Ukraine allegedly suffered its first Gepard loss in April 2023 to a Lancet loitering munition , although the full video shows the Gepard relatively intact after the impact. Obtaining ammunition was initially difficult as Switzerland – owing to its neutrality – forbade Germany and Denmark to transfer their stocks of Swiss-made rounds, and refused to supply its own surplus, forcing Germany to rely on other sources for ammunition. A July 2022 delivery of ammunition manufactured in Norway

SECTION 60

#1732764922221

4340-693: Was decided to use the 35 mm type. In 1971, twelve second phase B prototypes were ordered. In 1971 the Dutch army ordered a CA preseries of five vehicles based on a parallel development that had used a West German 0-series Leopard 1 vehicle made available by the West German government in March 1970 as the C-prototype. The Germans made a small preseries of both the B1 and B2R. In February 1973, the political decision

4410-484: Was delayed as tests showed that they could not be fired by the Gepard. This issue was resolved by August and about 50,000 Norwegian-made rounds had been received by the end of September, according to Ukraine's Armed Forces. Photos from the German tabloid Bild of the Gepard with a Ukrainian crew include high-explosive incendiary (HEI) rounds (where the projectile is yellow with a red band) made by e.g. Norwegian Nammo . In December 2022, Rheinmetall committed to

4480-482: Was developed during the 1960s as a replacement for the M42 Duster . Two projects were investigated. These were the ‘Matador’ (designed by Rheinmetall , AEG , Siemens , and Krauss-Maffei ) and the ‘5PFZ-A’ (designed by Oerlikon , Contraves , Siemens-Albis, Hollandse Signaalapparaten and Kraus-Maffei/Porsche ). In 1969, construction began of four A prototypes testing both 30 and 35 mm guns. In June 1970, it

4550-539: Was fielded for the three Airborne Brigades. The vehicle is based on the hull of the Leopard 1 tank with a large fully rotating turret carrying the armament—a pair of 35 mm Oerlikon KDA autocannons. The Gepard is based on a slightly modified chassis of the Leopard 1 main battle tank, including the complete drive unit with a 37.4-liter 10-cylinder multi-fuel engine (type: MB 838 CaM 500) with two mechanical superchargers built by MTU Aero Engines . The V-engine with

4620-427: Was interpreted by some commentators as a sign of German weakness towards Russia. On 22 February, Scholz announced that his government would prevent the pipeline's certification after Putin ordered troops into eastern Ukraine. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine from its built-up positions in southern Russia and Belarus. The invasion was described by Putin as a "special military operation" to aid

4690-427: Was later scuttled with Ukrainian officials blaming Russian shelling continuing during the evacuation process. They added that about 400 civilians were still able to leave the city. Russian President Vladimir Putin however blamed Ukrainian forces for the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement. On 6 March, both sides blamed each other for the failure of a second attempt to evacuate civilians from Mariupol. On 9 March,

4760-589: Was led by the recently elected chancellor Olaf Scholz , was criticised for taking a cautious approach to the crisis. The criticism focused on Scholz's refusal to specify whether certification of Nord Stream 2 , a gas pipeline financed by the Russian energy corporation Gazprom , would be suspended in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine. On 15 February, Scholz met the Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in Moscow. Scholz's visit

4830-615: Was made to produce the type. In September 1973 the contract was signed with Krauss-Maffei for 432 B2 turrets and 420 hulls with a total value of DM 1,200,000,000. Each vehicle would be about three times the price of a normal Leopard 1. The first was delivered in December 1976. Belgium ordered 55 vehicles, which were identical to the German version. The Netherlands ordered 95 vehicles (designated Cheetah PRTL or Pantser Rups Tegen Luchtdoelen ), split into three batches (CA1, CA2 and CA3), which were equipped with Philips radar systems. Since

4900-459: Was provided on vehicles upgraded to the B2L standard, and installed atop the antenna housing for the tracking radar. The Gepard utilizes two Oerlikon GDF , 90 calibres (3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)) long, with a muzzle velocity of 1,440 m/s (4,700 ft/s) ( FAPDS (Frangible Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot) rounds), giving an effective range of 5.5 km (3.4 miles). The ammunition

#220779