Ukraine's Gepard Gun Vehicles Are Blasting So Many Russian Drones That Ammo Is Running Out

Defeating the Shahed swarms requires layers of defenses

A Ukrainian Gepard. Ukrainian defense ministry photo.

Russia is launching so many 440-pound Shahed drones at Ukrainian cities that some of Ukraine’s best defenses against the satellite-guided drones—its German-made Gepard gun vehicles—are running low on ammunition for their twin 35-millimeter guns.

“Due to the increase in the number of Shaheds launched by the Russians over the past couple of months, there is a noticeable shortage,” said Yevhenii Valiienko, who develops drone-jamming electronic-warfare systems under the umbrella of Ukrainian firm Lima E.W.

Full disclosure: I have helped Lima E.W. network with U.S. experts and industry officials as the Ukrainian firm works to increase production of—and improve—its main jammer, Lima.

A truly effective defense against the Shaheds requires layers of missiles, manned aerial interceptors and interceptor drones, Gepards and jammers such as Lima—not to mention strikes “left of the boom” targeting the factories that build Shaheds, the facilities that store the completed drones and the teams that launch them.

But some of these defensive layers are thinning out. The Gepards are running out of ammo as more Shaheds cloud the sky. And the jammers are become obsolete as the Russians improve the explosive drones faster than the Ukrainians improve their electronic-warfare systems.

“Currently, the enemy continues to increase the number of drones, terrorizing the population of Ukraine almost every night,” Valiienko said.