The anti-aircraft vehicle Gepard was the first heavy weapon system that Germany promised Ukraine.
When that was decided in April, some excited participants in the Berlin debate still thought it was not enough.
It also took a while for the tanks to get to the front.
But reports are now coming from there that the Ukrainians are very satisfied with the Bundeswehr's decommissioned equipment.
Apparently it works well against Iranian drones.
Better not to buy in Switzerland anymore
It is therefore a major setback for German foreign policy that Switzerland is sticking to its refusal to pass on ammunition manufactured there for the tank to Ukraine.
The procurement of ammunition was a problem with this weapon delivery from the beginning.
In the current phase of the war, where air combat is intensifying, it would be particularly bitter for Ukraine if Switzerland's insistence on its neutrality rendered the system unusable.
Berlin should try again to find a replacement somewhere else.
Otherwise, there are two lessons to be learned from this process: Germany is now feeling for itself the consequences of restrictions on arms exports;
this should not be forgotten again in the debate on EU armaments projects.
And it is better not to buy armaments in Switzerland in the future.