Germany follows Austria and orders Skyranger air defence systems

Rheinmetall will supply at least 19 Skyranger 30 air defence systems to German defence forces for installation on Boxer IFVs under a €595 million (US$642 million) contract. The final number of systems could rise, however, with the contract including an option for a further 30 systems.

The 19 units will include one prototype which will be expected to be delivered before the end of the year. The systems will be used for short- and very short-range air defence, known as the NNbS, in which the Skyranger 30 will constitute a key component.

The Skyranger 30 has been designed to bridge an existing capability gap in mobile air defence.

A hybrid solution, the system’s turret combines the 30mm x 173 KCE revolver gun, surface-to-air missiles and the necessary sensor suite, all on a single platform.

The Skyranger 30 systems earmarked for Germany will be armed with Stinger missiles. Depending on customer requirements, the system can be fitted with various modern guided missiles such as the Mistral, Stinger or special C-UAS missiles.

The first customer was Austria, which recently ordered 36 Skyranger 30 systems in a deal described as being worth a figure “in the mid-three-digit million-euro range” with deliveries expected to begin in 2026.

In December 2023, Hungary tasked Rheinmetall with developing a concept for a Skyranger 30 turret for the future air defence variant of the Lynx KF41 tracked armoured vehicle.

Lithuania has also been studying the Boxer-mounted Skyranger 30, while Denmark has plans to procure the Skyranger 30 solution in combination with another wheeled armoured vehicle.

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