Mr. T (MrT4) said:

One wonders how much of the supplied heavy weapons can actually be used in combat, heavy armor particularly anything tracked needs a bunch of maintenance to keep running and some of the supplied gear has not moved at all in a decade or so

That is reportedly a main rationale for the US sending towed artillery pieces as opposed to SPGs - low maintenance. Hitch one up behind a Ukrainian tractor and its gtg. 

...

More broadly these issues of maintenance do speak to the use of technicals / armed civilian vehicles for smaller countries defense forces due to their higher reliability and simplified logistics. 

These little armed off road golf carts are likely to have more tank/ifv kills then these older donated tanks, while also being much easier to hide from air attacks. 

A lightly armored Toyota (armored against small arms and shell fragments) with a CROWS RWS would be a compelling option as well. Either with a .50 + Javelin or even a 30x113mm as seen here:

APWKS would also be another option:

schnuersi said:

The big new today is that Germany will now supply Gepard SPAA to Ukraine

I found the term 'flakpanzer' especially cool when looking those up.

Whats the general condition / effectiveness of those? Wiki says they were phased out in 2010.

And can they fire the newer 'AHEAD' rounds, or mostly just the APDS frangible loads? 

First video of French MILAN ATGM in use, ~1700m vehicle kill:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/ucjdjp/ukrainian_atgm_team_engages_a_russian_vehicle/

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2022/04/24/france-is-delivering-caesar-cannons-and-milan-anti-tank-missiles-to-kiev_5981417_4.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MILAN

golf carts with anti tank??? this is comical 

Comical yet proven on the battlefield:

YouTube

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces fire a UTV-mounted 9M111 Fagot ATGM at Russian targets

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces fire a UTV-mounted 9M111 Fagot anti-tank guided missile system at Russian targets#StandWithUkraine? #StopRussia #ArmUkrai...

I've seen multiple versions of this basic setup.

Vehicle is the surprisingly capable Polaris cart, which are tailor made for off road use and can haul 500lbs of stuff in the back, and capable of ~50mph on paved roads, and gets ~25mpg. Its also narrow enough to travel along narrower trails then a conventional vehicle. 

https://ranger.polaris.com/en-us/ranger-xp-1000/

Its a similar concept to the 'Desert Patrol Vehicle' dune buggy previously used by US SF:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Patrol_Vehicle

And US SF and Marines are also looking into larger polaris cart-jeep hybrids for themselves, although as transport rather then tank destroyers:

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/12/22/marine-corps-tactical-dune-buggy-getting-bunch-new-upgrades.html

gatnerd said:

Whats the general condition / effectiveness of those? Wiki says they were phased out in 2010.

They have been phased out in 2010. Allthough for budget reasons. Not because the system was not effective or not usefull. The current condition is ok-ish. Not great but they can be refurbished quickly.

gatnerd said:

And can they fire the newer 'AHEAD' rounds, or mostly just the APDS frangible loads?

To my knowledge they currently can't. This upgrade among others was discussed befor the phase out but not implemented because of it. Especially against helicopters the FAPDS is very effective. I guess not so much against small drones.

Back in the day we often trained with Gepard units. Several times I have seen them on a shooting range. They system is pretty impressive. To my knowledge it was never used in combat befor so we will have to wait and see how it works out.

BruhMomento said:

golf carts with anti tank??? this is comical

Every solution that compensates for the shortcomings of a system without compromising its strength is a good one.
The shortcoming of an ATGM system is mobility. Its strength is small size. So the smallest vehicle that can give it the required mobility is the best solution.

The German Wiesel ATGM carrier basically is a golf cart with tracks. Its also a bit more durable with very light protection but its of the same size.

Such simple ATGM carriers are also dirt cheap.

The downside is they are still highly suceptible to autocannon and artillery fire.

schnuersi said:

To my knowledge it was never used in combat befor so we will have to wait and see how it works out.

That will be exciting to see how it works then, given how long it has been in service.

Its a super cool looking vehicle.

Since both Ukraine and Russia are making extensive use of 30x165mm ACs on their various IFVs, a look at x165 ammo and its effects:

https://thesovietarmourblog.blogspot.com/p/30x165mm-cartridges.html

Really fantastic look at the shells and their performance; a few random grabs from the website. I'm always delighted when I stumble across an obscure blog thats rich in info. 

Time of flight:

Wall penetration:

schnuersi said:

The German Wiesel ATGM carrier basically is a golf cart with tracks. Its also a bit more durable with very light protection but its of the same size. Such simple ATGM carriers are also dirt cheap.

That thing is adorably badass:

The Polaris are I think a great option for a modern version of the concept:

-Polaris widely used by civilians, with a proven track record for reliability and both spare and aftermarket parts

-Polaris currently used by US military 

-Vehicle is less then 1 ton, cheap, and capable off road

Their big brother, the 4 seat Polaris MRZR, is being used by US SF as a Javelin carrier / desert Jeep:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MilitaryPorn/comments/75uiof/us_socom_polaris_mrzr_light_tactical_vehicles/

I think a small country could do a hell of lot worse then having a bunch of ATGM tactical golf carts. 

Theres also a snow version in use by the Italians:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MilitaryPorn/comments/q6ufrk/italiani_alpini_troops_using_a_special_polaris/