Belgium to send refurbished Gepard air defence tanks to Ukraine

Belgium will buy 15 older Gepard air defence tanks and send them to Ukraine as part of a €1 billion military aid package approved earlier this month, officials have confirmed.

The vehicles, dating from the 1970s, will be purchased from OIP, the Belgian subsidiary of Israel’s Elbit Systems, newspaper L’Echo writes. They were originally sold off by the Belgian army in the 2000s after being retired from service.

Belgian firms will refurbish the tanks before delivery. Their chassis will be restored locally, while Ukraine will handle further work on the turret systems. The cost of the deal has not been disclosed.

The Gepard is a tracked armoured vehicle based on the Leopard I tank. It is fitted with twin 35mm anti-aircraft guns and radar systems designed to counter threats at very short range, such as drones and low-flying missiles.

Although built during the Cold War and never used in combat before Russia’s full-scale invasion, the systems have proved highly effective in Ukraine. They are particularly valued for shooting down Russian drones and cruise missiles at a lower operating cost than modern missile systems.

Germany has already supplied dozens of Gepard units to Ukraine, while others have come via third countries. Early concerns over ammunition supply, linked to Swiss neutrality rules, have since been resolved after production resumed in Germany.

Belgium previously considered repurchasing its former Gepard fleet for Ukraine but did not proceed, reportedly due to high costs and political hesitation over supplying heavy weapons.

^{A Ukrainian soldier in a Gepard tank in Kyiv region © Genya SAVILOV / AFP}