German arms falter in Ukraine as Gepard stands out

The German weapon systems supporting Ukraine in the conflict are encountering serious challenges. As reported by Spiegel, the deputy military attaché of the German embassy in Kyiv pointed out problems with their effectiveness. The German portal reports that the Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000), although considered advanced, is technically prone to failures, raising doubts about its usefulness in combat.

The Leopard 1A5 and Leopard 2A6 tanks also fall short of expectations. It is noted that the former is used as improvised artillery due to weak protection, while the latter is too expensive to maintain and difficult to repair on the front lines. Air defence systems such as IRIS-T and Patriot also have their limitations, mainly due to costs and a lack of spare parts.

However, not all German weapon systems are criticized. For example, the Gepard anti-aircraft system is praised for its reliability and effectiveness. It is described as the most popular, effective, and reliable weapon system in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Mars rocket systems change the rules of the battlefield, but are only partly suitable for combat because, unlike their American counterparts, they do not support cluster munitions.

An additional problem is the lack of adequate training for Ukrainian soldiers and weak repair infrastructure. Service centres are too far from the front lines, making quick repairs difficult. Faced with these challenges, Germany plans to increase defence spending, which could improve the situation.

Let us recall that the Gepard systems praised on the front lines are weapons that Germany phased out of use in 2010. The range of this weapon is reported to be about 4 kilometres (or 5 kilometres with FAPDS ammunition). This significantly exceeds the Soviet ZSU 23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft systems, which have a range of about 2 kilometres.