Bundeswehr replaces Gepard system with new anti-aircraft gun tanks

Germany's Bundeswehr is to receive new anti-aircraft gun tanks to replace the Gepard weapon system, after the Bundestag's Defence Committee agreed on the procurement of 19 tanks on Wednesday, dpa has learned from defence sources.

The step sees the Bundeswehr responding to the war in Ukraine, where fending off drones is of key importance.

Meanwhile the Ukrainian army is using the older German Gepard tanks.

The decision-making process took a long time, a fact criticized by the defence policy spokesman for the opposition Christian Democrats, Florian Hahn.

"The fact that it has taken two years to reach a procurement decision to close one of the most glaring capability gaps for protecting troops from airborne attacks such as drones, even after declaring a turning point, shows once again that this federal government has still not recognised the seriousness of the situation," he told dpa.

He was referring to comments made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last year, who said Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine constituted a "Zeitenwende," or turning point, prompting a massive reinvestment in the military.

He said Germany would "from now on - year after year - invest more than 2% of the gross domestic product in our defence."

However, the procurement organization is still not organized in such a way that time is a determining factor, Hahn said. He also criticized the fact that Germany is only procuring 19 anti-aircraft gun tanks.

The Bundeswehr decommissioned its army air defence force in 2012 but the military saw this as a painful reduction in its capabilities - a fact that became even more obvious when Russia invaded Ukraine.

In the ongoing war, Russia is deploying large numbers of drones. Using tanks to fend them off is less costly than using the more expensive guided missiles.