Gepard

This page is about the German SPAA Gepard. For the other version, see Gepard 1A2.

Gepard

Ozelot

Gepard

Ozelot

Germany

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.3	8.3	8.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:135 000

Purchase:380 000

Show in game

Description

The Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer (Flakpanzer) Gepard is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun designed to operate in all weather conditions. It was created in the 1960s, deployed in the 1970s, and has since been updated several times with cutting-edge technologies to keep up with modern warfare. It is equipped with twin 35 mm Oerlikon KDA autocannons mounted on the chassis of a Leopard 1 main battle tank and has served as a cornerstone of air defence for the German Army and several other NATO countries. The turret has a full traverse, providing complete coverage for the system. The search and tracking radars are also mounted on the chassis, behind and in front of the turret, respectively.

Introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters", the Flakpanzer Gepard is a capable weapon platform that can provide reliable cover from enemy air attacks for friendly ground units. This vehicle, outfitted with search and tracking radars, can actively scan the skies for hostile air units and provide a lead indicator once locked onto the target. It also has some minor anti-ground capabilities, but it is not recommended that it be used extensively in anti-ground roles. It is recommended to wait for enemy aircraft to approach before unleashing a barrage of shells to make it difficult to dodge and avoid. To conserve ammunition and prevent overheating of the cannons, always shoot in bursts.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull30 / 25 / 20

Turret25 / 20 / 20

Crew3 people

Visibility313 %

Common among almost all SPAAs, the Gepard's armour can only withstand heavy machine guns and aircraft cannons and such, even other SPAAs and light tanks will pose a threat. Having 30mm of armour at its thickest point, in the game, the Gepard can be hull broken by shells of a calibre of 75mm and higher.

The Gepard has a crew of 3, consisting of a gunner, a commander and a driver with the first 2 residing in the turret and the third in the hull. The ammunition is stored in its entirety in the turret basket, below the crew; in practice, the Gepard is rarely ammo racked, and most often it is your crew that will be knocked out or the tank being burned down by chemical munitions fired from enemy aircraft that it faces, such as helicopters and jet attack aircraft which are both a threat and a tricky target.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	30 (59°) Front glacis 30 mm (48°) Lower glacis	25 mm (40-41°) Top 20 mm Lower	20 mm (6°) Top 20 mm (49°) Bottom	30 mm Driver/Co-driver port area 15 mm Everywhere else
Turret	25 mm (1-30°)	20 mm Turret side 10 mm Cannon mounts	20 mm (3°)	15 mm

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB71 / 28 km/h

RB and SB66 / 26 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight46.0 t

Engine power

AB1 584 hp

RB and SB830 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB34.4 hp/t

RB and SB18.0 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	71	28	46	1,179	1,584	25.63	34.43
Realistic	66	26		734	830	15.96	18.04

Having the chassis of the Leopard 1, the Gepard is almost identical in mobility to the MBT, possessing the same engine power, making it useful at capturing zones and getting out of harm's way.

Its top speed is 57 km/h forward and -22 km/h backwards, with acceleration time and neutral steering speed depending on the installed modules. The engine is the same as in the Leopard 1, the MTU (Motoren- und Turbinen-Union Friedrichshafen GmbH) MB 838 CaM-500 610 kW outputting 830 hp at 2200 rpm.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 894 → 6 621

RB4 187 → 5 665

SB5 265 → 7 123

Total cost of modifications112 200

193 400

Talisman cost2 300

Crew training110 000

Experts380 000

Aces1 400

Research Aces830 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 190 / 230 %

208 / 208 / 208 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 210 Suspension Research: 5 400 Cost: 8 600 190 Brake System Research: 5 400 Cost: 8 600 190 Filters Research: 7 500 Cost: 12 000 270 Transmission Research: 9 800 Cost: 16 000 350 Engine Research: 9 800 Cost: 16 000 350	Improved Parts Research: 1 800 Cost: 9 600 210 Improved FPE Research: 1 600 Cost: 8 600 190 Crew Replenishment Research: 7 500 Cost: 12 000 270	Horizontal Drive Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 210 35mm_kda_HE_ammo_pack Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 210 35mm_kda_APHEI_ammo_pack Research: 5 400 Cost: 8 600 190 Adjustment of Fire Research: 5 400 Cost: 8 600 190 Elevation Mechanism Research: 7 500 Cost: 12 000 270 Smoke grenade Research: 7 500 Cost: 12 000 270 35mm_kda_APDS_ammo_pack Research: 9 800 Cost: 16 000 350 Artillery Support Research: 9 800 Cost: 16 000 350

Armaments

Main armament

2 x 35 mm Oerlikon KDA cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition680 rounds

Belt capacity320 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

1.3 → 1.0 s

Fire rate550 shots/min

Vertical guidance-5° / 85°

The armament consists of 2 x 35 mm Oerlikon KDA cannons with 340 RPG with a quick, fixed fire rate and can make use of 3 types of munitions:

• High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying, note that the self-destruction range coincides with the radar's lead indicator maximum distance, making the shell inadequate at longer ranges)
• Armour-piercing incendiary tracer, which can be used against lightly armoured vehicles and enemy SPAAs, though the damage to enemy aircraft is reduced, the shell can be used outside radar range since it does not self destruct
• High-velocity armour-piercing tracer (APDS), which can be used against targets mentioned above and additionally, can be used to attack the side profile of enemy MBTs with reasonable effectiveness. Use against air targets is possible but the damage output is highly reduced.

35 mm Oerlikon KDA (x2)						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	680 (320)	550	-10°/+85°	±180°	Two-plane	79.3	109.7	133.2	147.3	156.7	1.30	1.15	1.06	1.00
Realistic						53.5	63.0	76.5	84.6	90.0

Ammunition

• Default: API-T* · HEI-T*
• DM11A1: HEI-T* · HEI-T* · HEI-T* · API-T*
• DM13: API-T* · API-T* · API-T* · HEI-T*
• DM23: APDS

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEI-T*	11	11	9	8	6	5
API-T*	68	66	57	47	39	32
APDS	127	125	118	110	102	95

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEI-T*	1,175	0.55	0.1	0.1	204	79°	80°	81°
API-T*	1,175	0.55	1.2	9	37.4	47°	60°	65°
APDS	1,400	0.38	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Gepard

Full ammo	Ammo type	1st rack empty	Visual discrepancy
4 680	Belts Rounds	0 (+4) 0 (+680)	Yes

Notes:

• The rack empties when all rounds are spent.
• The visual discrepancy concerns the number of belts: 4 belts can be fired but only 2 are modeled.

Radars

The Gepard is equipped with a MPDR 12 search radar and an Albis tracking radar. Both radars are located on the turret, the MPDR 12 is mounted at the rear of the turret and folds back when not in use, the Albis is mounted on the front of the turret. The radar system is capable of tracking a target while scanning, but can only track targets within a 200° arc from the front of the turret.

MPDR 12 - Target Detection Radar
Maximum Detection Range	Minimum Detection Range	Max Azimuth Scan Angle	Max Elevation Scan Angle	Minimum relative speed
15,000 m	500 m	360°	???	10 m/s (36 km/h)
Albis - Target Tracking Radar
Maximum Tracking Range	Minimum Tracking Range	Azimuth Tracking Angle	Elevation Tracking Angle	Minimum target speed
15,000 m	75 m	±100°	-20°/+85°	15 m/s (54 km/h)

Usage in battles

The Gepard performs best when stalking enemy aircraft, scanning the sky for a target and waiting until it gets in range of the radar, and only attacking when the radar can provide a lead estimation, thus preserving ammunition which is critical since the cannons will expend it quickly in combat situations. Helicopters will more than often chose to keep a reasonable distance, usually outside your radar's range but this can be countered by using the API-T rounds in short burst until the range of the enemy has been deduced, it only takes a few rounds to destroy an enemy aircraft.

Engaging ground vehicles comes with the risk of being destroyed without doing any significant damage so weigh your options carefully, unsuspecting light tanks are fair game but most tanks will pose a threat even when attacking their side without the appropriate ammunition belts.

Capturing points is also an option thanks to the good mobility of the vehicle, although you will have to make sure the capture point is clear and there is no risk of being attacked by an enemy tank.

Against enemy threats:

• Arcade: Keep your head on a swivel, and when enemies start air battles be prepared to react very soon; jets can reach the battle in seconds. Try to fire as soon as the enemy reaches within 2 kilometres, any closer and you risk the aircraft being able to open fire on you or even ram you and induce overpressure. Helicopters should be treated with a similar deal of respect, so try to limit the amount of time they have within firing range by coating them in a blank of anti-air fire as soon as the lead indicator appears.

• Realistic/Simulator: If using the Gepard in higher rank games, be mindful of aircraft such as the AH-1Z and FJ-4B VMF-232. Their long-range guided missiles allow them to attack you outside of the range of your lead indicator or even out of the range of your guns themselves. Stay hidden until they draw closer, and then attempt to "ambush" them as they are pre-occupied attacking other allies. Stay away from common traffic areas if your only goal is to take out these aircraft, and try to sneak as close as possible to them so that you can re-acquire the lead indicator. Thanks to the fact the Gepard is vulnerable to being overpressured, it only takes a missile landing near to completely disable the anti-aircraft vehicle.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Has the mobility of the Leopard tank, though the increased weight is noticeable
• Very fast turret rotation
• Good stock grind thanks to its already good gun handling
• Can penetrate many tanks from the side even with its default belt
• High penetration with DM23 belt that is also cheaper to restock than other belts
• Twin 35 mm cannons are very deadly against both aircraft and tanks with a high rate of fire and accuracy
• Has stabilizer - can shoot targets while on the move, air and ground ones alike
• Good amount of ammo in reserve
• Search and tracking radars, the search radar finds targets while the tracking radar gives a very accurate lead indicator
• Search radar dish can be folded when not in use to reduce vehicle height and visibility

Cons:

• Relatively high profile, and a spinning radar dish atop the vehicle
• Very thin armour that can be easily destroyed by overpressure
• Cannons are mounted on the sides of the turret that can make shooting weak spots at close range almost impossible
• Relatively low rate-of-fire compared to the M163 and ZSU-23-4
• Incredibly long reload time when all ammo is expended
• Can only take 40 x DM23s to battle, must be fired very carefully
• Expensive unlockable ammo belts (except the DM23 belt)

History

Development

Development began on a dedicated self-propelled anti-aircraft gun for the German Bundeswehr in the 1960s. The first pilot models were produced in 1969 testing 30 and 35 mm autocannons for the armament. The decision to use a 35 mm autocannon as the basis of the anti-aircraft armament came on 25 June 1970. In 1971 the second phase of pilot models was tested, the Dutch Army expressed interest in the project and ordered a few models once completed. It was around this phase that the Leopard 1 was chosen as the chassis of the vehicle, and a modified variant was produced. In September 1973, the order was made to Krauss-Maffei manufacturer to produce 432 turret and 430 hulls. The Bundeswehr accepted the vehicle as to the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Anti-aircraft cannon tank "Cheetah"), or better known as the Flakpanzer Gepard. At least 430 Flakpanzer Gepard units were produced in total from 1973 onwards.

Design

The Flakpanzer Gepard uses the 35 mm Oerlikon KDA autocannon, which was a dual-mounted cannon that each can fire around 550 rounds per minute. The Gepard has a search radar on the back, a tracking radar in front, and a laser range finder in the front to track air targets. The Flakpanzer Gepard uses a modified Leopard chassis, modified by different wheel spacing and battery placement. The vehicle was powered by a multi-fuel engine capable of pumping around 819 horsepower. There was also an auxiliary engine that powers the turret functions so the main engine can run the vehicle unhindered by additional energy requirement. The Gepard as a whole actually cost three times more than a standard Leopard 1 tank, possibly due to all the guidance system and radars needed to make the Gepard an effective anti-aircraft gun.

Usage

The Gepard entered service in the German Bundeswehr in 1973 and made up a core of West Germany's anti-aircraft power. The Gepard was constantly upgraded with better guidance systems and other electronic hardware. From the 1980s onward, the Gepard units were attached to Stinger surface-to-air missile systems to exploit the Gepard's extended tracking system to locate targets for the Stingers. A proposal was made to combine these two units into one vehicle with a dual Stinger launcher mounted onto a Gepard, but budget restrictions prevented this. The Flakpanzer Gepard still sees use today in the storage of the Bundeswehr, although in reduced numbers from 377 originally to just 94. They are expected to be replaced by the SysFla project, which is a stationary and mobile platform armed with the MANTIS gun system and the new LFK NG missiles.

The Gepards were successful in the export market. The first to order were Belgium and the Dutch, 55 and 95 units respectively. When the Bundeswehr started the downsize their forces, their Gepards were sold to various countries such as Brazil, Romania, and Chile; though Chile returned their Gepards due to the high costs maintaining them. The Dutch also sold 60 of their surplus stock to Jordan. Belgium and the Dutch have recently withdrawn the Gepards from military service.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Gepard from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• 

Videos

The Shooting Range #33 - Metal Beasts section at 00:30 discusses the Gepard.

German SPAAs discusses the Gepard at 5:30 - War Thunder Official Channel

Gepard: Review & How To AAA - Napalmratte

See also

Related development

• Leopard (Family)
  • Gepard 1A2

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Oerlikon KDA (35 mm)
  • Type 87
  • Chieftain Marksman
  • ItPsV Leopard
  • ZA-35
  • PGZ09
• VEAK 40
• AMX-30 DCA
• ZSU-37-2

External links

• [Devblog] Flakpanzer I Gepard - The second and last of its name
• [Wikipedia] Flakpanzer Gepard
• MTU Defense Brochure

Germany anti-aircraft vehicles
Wheeled	Sd.Kfz.222
Half-track	Sd.Kfz.251/21 · Sd.Kfz. 6/2
Flakpanzer IV	Wirbelwind · Ostwind · Ostwind II · Kugelblitz · Zerstörer 45
Other Flakpanzers	Flakpanzer I · Flakpanzer 38 · Flakpanzer 341
Wiesel AWC	Wiesel 1A4 · Ozelot
Radar SPAAG	Gepard · Gepard 1A2
Missile SPAA	FlaRakPz 1 · FlaRakRad