Germany plans to buy 500+ Skyranger air defense systems
Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger says the German defense company anticipates receiving an order from the Bundeswehr later this year for additional Skyranger air defense gun systems worth between six and eight billion euros ($7-9 billion).
Speaking during a conference call with analysts, Papperger declined to disclose specific quantities, citing agreements with the German Ministry of Defense.
“We will not talk about quantities for security reasons,” he said. The deliveries are expected to be completed by 2035, with procurement split into two periods — from now until 2029, and from 2029 to 2035. “These are the two periods the government is planning with,” Papperger noted.
As reported by hartpunkt, the Bundeswehr is planning a major expansion of its ground-based air defense capabilities. Well-informed sources told the outlet that demand for the lowest-tier interception layer alone could reach 500 to 600 Skyranger gun systems across all branches of the armed forces. Based on industry pricing estimates for each unit, this would align with Rheinmetall’s projected contract value.
In February 2024, the Bundeswehr awarded Rheinmetall a 595 million euro contract to develop and deliver a demonstrator and 18 production Skyranger 30 systems mounted on Boxer vehicles. The prototype was handed over in January 2025, and the series vehicles are expected to enter service in 2027 and 2028.
According to Rheinmetall, the Skyranger 30 is designed to close Germany’s capability gap in short-range and very short-range mobile air defense. It can operate both autonomously and as part of a networked system. Using programmable AHEAD airburst ammunition, it is particularly suited to countering drones.
The turret combines a 30×173 mm KCE revolver cannon, short-range surface-to-air missiles, and an integrated sensor suite. For the Bundeswehr variant, Rheinmetall will integrate MBDA’s DefendAir missile — previously known as the Small Anti-Drone Missile (SADM) — intended as a low-cost solution for drone defense. The Skyranger will carry 9 to 12 of these missiles, with a range of up to five kilometers. DefendAir development is scheduled for completion between 2025 and 2028, with qualification by 2029 and procurement starting in 2030.
The KCE revolver cannon remains the Skyranger’s primary weapon, with an effective range of up to 3,000 meters. Rheinmetall says it has demonstrated high firepower and precision during testing under challenging weather conditions. The 30 mm airburst munitions are programmed at the muzzle based on measured velocity, compensating for slight variations in propellant charges and improving accuracy against small aerial targets.
For detection, the system uses Hensoldt’s SPEXER 2000M 3D MkIII radar. Each panel covers 120 degrees, allowing full 360-degree coverage with three panels. Hensoldt states the radar can detect and track more than 300 targets simultaneously, from micro-drones to combat aircraft and missiles, with ranges of up to 40 kilometers. It can also operate while on the move. An electro-optical suite from Chess Dynamics complements the radar for target identification and tracking.
The Skyranger 30, with its hybrid cannon-missile architecture, is intended to provide a mobile, layered defense solution.
