The Gepard Air Defence System procured by the Romanian Land Forces, deployed for the first time in NATO Mission from Poland

A detachment made up of 102 soldiers of the 3rd Air Defence Battalion “Potaissa” from Turda starts its six-month missions in Poland, as part of the NATO Battle Group deployed in Bemowo Piskie military base.

Once with the mission taking-over, the 3rd Defence Battalion “Potaissa” deploys for the first time, outside the borders , the Gepard Air Defence System, the former rotational missions being accomplished with the aid of the Oerlikon Air Defence Complex (for three and a half years) which will be brought back into the country by a detachment of 205th Air Defence Battalion “General Gheorghe Pârvulescu” from Craiova, which is to end its mission in Poland.

The deployment of the AD artillerists from Turda represents the seventh rotation of Romania’s contribution to the North-Atlantic Alliance enhanced Forward Presence (-eFP) in Poland.

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The Romanian Armed Forces have been participating since 2017 with an AD detachment in the enhanced Forward Presence mission from the North-Eastern Flank of the Alliance, as part of the NATO Battle Group from Poland led by the Unites States of America, according to the decision assumed by Romania after the NATO Summit in Warsaw.

Gepard Air Defence System is ane armored self-propelled equipment with high mobility and rapid reaction time, its tactical mission being engaging combat against ground targets and air targets which attack by surprise, at low altitude, with a speed ranging up to 475 m/s. Equipped with two 35 mm Oerlikon cannons, the system has a reconnaissance radar and does not need adjustment for the execution of the on-move shootings with or without stopping. Despite the high weight, the system’s displacement capacity reaches 60 km/h, with autonomy of over 500 km.

Also, the AD system is made up of a series of specialized installations, such as the night vision gear, the diving hydraulics and the nuclear, bacteriological, chemical or fumigation protection; it can be used in combat in any weather conditions, both during the day and at night, not being affected by the radar jamming.

The Press Office