Rheinmetall bags Oerlikon Skyguard upgrade order
Rheinmetall Air Defence has been awarded a major modernisation order for the Oerlikon Skyguard air defence system of the Swiss armed forces, the company announced on 18 May.
The multi-million euro order will see the company upgrade the guns and fire control units of the 35mm, medium-calibre Oerlikon Skyguard through to 2019.
The contract also covers the overhaul of associated command and control systems in the operations centre and additional spare parts. The modernisation aims to extend the service life of the Skyguard to at least 2025.
Rheinmetall Air Defence will be serving as general contract, responsible for the service life extension work. At the request of the customer, the Swiss federal procurement agency, the company has assigned various tasks to Swiss partner RUAG Aviation.
The Oerlikon Skyguard is part of the Swiss air force's short-range, ground-based air defence systems, which also include the Rapier surface-to-air missile and Stinger guided missile.
All three systems are set to reach the end of their service life in the next few years. The Skyguard's service life extension programme aims to avoid a capabilities gap before a successor system for short-range, ground-based air defence is introduced.
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