Rheinmetall to supply German armed forces with Skyranger 30 air defence systems

The Bundeswehr has tasked Rheinmetall with supplying the German armed forces with the Skyranger 30 mobile air defence system. Worth EUR595 million (including value added tax), the contract encompasses delivery of a prototype and another 18 series production vehicles. In addition, an option exists for a further 30 systems. The prototype is to be delivered by the end of 2024.

Llast month, the Bundeswehr entrusted Rheinmetall and its partner contractors with developing a system for short- and very short-range air defence known as the NNbS, in which the Skyranger 30 will constitute a key component.

“An essential part of the NNbS, the Skyranger 30 is embedded in the German government’s European Sky Shield Initiative, in which Germany, acting within a NATO context, has assumed the role of lead nation in ground-based air defence in Europe,” said the company in a press release.

“The Skyranger 30 bridges an acute existing capability gap in mobile air defence. The system constitutes an optimum combination of mobility, protection, flexibility and precision, making it a match for new challenges in the short- and very short-range threat spectrum. A hybrid solution, the system’s turret combines the highly effective 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.”