Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Flakpanzer)

Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Artillery (SPAAA)

Germany | 1974

"The Cold War-era West German Gepard Flakpanzer air-defense vehicle was built atop the existing chassis of the Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank."

Image from the US DoD DVIDS imagery database; Public Release.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Flakpanzer) Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Artillery (SPAAA).

1 x MTU MB838 Ca M500, 10-cylinder, water-cooled diesel-fueled engine developing 830 horsepower at 2,200rpm driving conventional track-and-wheeled arrangement.
Installed Power

40 mph
65 kph
Road Speed

342 miles
550 km
Range

Structure
The physical qualities of the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Flakpanzer) Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Artillery (SPAAA).

3
(MANNED)
Crew

23.3 ft
7.09 meters
O/A Length

10.7 ft
3.25 meters
O/A Width

9.9 ft
3.01 meters
O/A Height

100,310 lb
45,500 kg | 50.2 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Flakpanzer) Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Artillery (SPAAA).

2 x 35mm Oerlikon Autocannons on turret (one gun to a turret side).
8 x 76mm Smoke Grenade Dischargers on turret in two banks of four launchers each.

AMMUNITION:
640 x 35mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) projectiles (320 rounds to a gun).
40 x 35mm Anti-Tank (AT) projectiles (20 rounds to a gun).
8 x 76mm Smoke Grenades.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Flakpanzer) family line.

Gepard - Variant of the Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank, utilizing its complete chassis; fitted with 2 x 35mm Oerlikon autocannons; 10-cylinder MTU multi-fuel diesel engine.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/26/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Gepard Flakpanzer, a tracked, Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun (SPAAG) platform arriving from West Germany during the Cold War, was built atop the existing - and proven - chassis of the Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank (MBT) and served mobile anti-aircraft artillery battalions of the West. It featured twin-35mm autocannons in a traversing turret and could fire a variety of air-exploding ammunition including APHE (Armor-Piercing High Explosive) and HEI (High Explosive Incendiary) rounds. The primary purpose of the system was in combating low-flying ground attack craft and helicopters featured by the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations.

The automotive components of the Gepard retained the same powerpack of the Leopard 1 MBT and was operated by a crew of three comprising of a driver, commander, and gunner. A separate powerpack was also included to drive the onboard tracking system. The turret fitted a complete Fire Control System (FCS), full tracking-and-search radar functionality, and its guns were capable of 550 rounds-per-minute rate-of-fire with a maximum, effective range out to about 3,500 meters (approximately 2.2 miles).

The vehicle weighed 52.5 tons (short) and had an overall length of 25 feet, width of 12 feet, and a height of 10.9 feet (with the radar unit retracted). The weapons were 2 x 35mm Oerlikon GDF automatic cannons with the onboard ammunition stock being a mix of Anti-Aircraft (AA) (320 projectiles each gun) and Anti-Tank (AT) (20 projectiles each gun) to make the vehicle as versatile as possible - especially considering the enemy-of-the-day was the Soviet Union and its massive tank-centric army. Beyond this, the vehicle carried 76mm smoke grenade dischargers in twin banks of four launchers each mounted at the lower sides of the turret for "self-screening" measures.

Armor protection was of conventional steel, giving it resistance against small arms, artillery "spray", and some larger-caliber weapons.

Drive power was from a single MTU 10-cylinder, multi-fuel engine outputting 830 horsepower to a conventional track-and-wheel arrangement. This involved seven rubber-tired roadwheels to each hull side with the drive sprocket at rear and the track idler at front. Four track-return rollers were featured along each hull side to help drive the track links about. As the Gepard relied on the Leopard 1 chassis, the driver's positioned was at front-right - the commander and gunner in the traversing turret.

Cross-country travel was aided by a full torsion bar suspension system. Operational range was out to 340 miles and maximum road speeds could reach 40 miles-per-hour.

The German Army retired its last Gepard systems in 2010 to make room for a new, more modern solution based on the GTK "Boxer" multi-role wheeled vehicle. The Dutch version fitted a different radar system than the German offering but lost little of its lethality.

The armies of Brazil (ex-German stock), Jordan (ex-Dutch stock), and Romania (ex-German stock) still utilize the Gepard system. Belgium and Chile have joined Germany and the Netherlands in retiring the platform in full.

Over 500 examples were produced.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Flakpanzer). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 527 Units
Contractor(s): Krauss-Maffei Wegmann - West Germany

[ Brazil; Belgium (retired); Chile (retired); Germany (retired) / West Germany (retired); Jordan; Netherlands; Romania ]

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Image of the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Flakpanzer)

Image from the US DoD DVIDS imagery database; Public Release.

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Image from the US DoD DVIDS imagery database; Public Release.

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Image from the US DoD DVIDS imagery database; Public Release.

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Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

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Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

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Going Further...
The Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (Flakpanzer) Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Artillery (SPAAA) appears in the following collections:

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