The Gepárd anti-material rifles are a family of Hungarian weapons designed to destroy unarmored and lightly armored targets. These long range, large caliber rifles have high accuracy as well as high muzzle velocity. The Gepárds originate from World War I anti-tank rifles created to damage the primitive armored vehicles developed by the British. Since then, anti-materiel rifles fell into disuse. Heavier tanks meant thicker armor, which even the heaviest rifles could not pierce. However, in 1987 the Hungarian army sought to obtain a compact, mobile weapon that could damage lightly armored targets. The project, led by eng. ltc. col. Ferenc Földi (Institute of Military Technology of Hungarian People Army), culminated in the creation of the Gepárds.