Rheinmetall receives order for millions-of-euros of 35mm ammunition
Rheinmetall 35mm AHEAD ammunition can be used with the Skynex air defence system. (Photo: Rheinmetall)
Each round of Rheinmetall’s AHEAD (Advanced Hit Efficiency and Destruction) ammunition has been programmed to eject its payload of 152 tungsten sub-projectiles at the optimum point to destroy the target.
Rheinmetall has received an order from a European customer for AHEAD 35mm ammunition worth a low triple-digit million euro amount. Under the terms of the deal a six-digit number of cartridges will be manufactured.
AHEAD ammunition can be used with the Skynex air defence system. It has been designed to be less expensive than guided missiles or ammunition and is immune to electronic countermeasures. Skynex was based on cannon-based air defence for close-range protection where guided weapons can be less effective.
The customer for the AHEAD ammunition was not disclosed. In March last year, however, Rheinmetall was awarded a further contract to supply Skynex air defence systems to a European customer. Earlier this year it was disclosed that Ukraine was using the system and Skynex has been ordered by Romania and Austria.
The deliveries in March 2023 were planned to take place over the course of 2025 and, as with the initial contract, will also include the associated Rheinmetall-made HX trucks.
The company said the system was capable of neutralising incoming rockets, artillery and mortar rounds, as well as bringing down UAS in the low, slow, small (LSS) subset such as quadrocopter drones. The system can also target conventional aircraft flying at close ranges.
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