Rheinmetall’s mobile Skyranger 30 air defence system has reached a key milestone on the road to series production. In December 2023, the A1 configuration of the Skyranger 30 underwent a successful testing and live-fire campaign at the Group’s Ochsenboden proving ground in Switzerland, in which the system had to prove itself in stationary and mobile modes.
The Skyranger 30 A1 is a development testbed whose purpose is to pave the way for total system qualification of the Skyranger 30 A3 in mid-2024. The A1’s flexible design enables efficient testing and optimization of multiple customer variants with different radars and effectors. With the Skyranger 30 slated to be introduced soon by several European user nations, this is a major advantage.
As recently as December 2023, Hungary – a NATO and EU member state – contracted with Rheinmetall to develop a concept for a Skyranger 30 turret for the future air defence variant of the Lynx KF41 tracked armoured vehicle. Two other user nations, Denmark and Germany, also plan to procure the Skyranger 30, which in both cases will be mounted on different wheeled armoured vehicles.
The central component of the Skyranger 30 is the 30mmx173 KCE revolver cannon, whose immense firepower and precision have been impressively demonstrated under the most adverse weather conditions.
The Skyranger 30 A3 will decisively counter current and future aerial threats – including drones – enabling ground troops to focus on their actual mission. The well-thought-out design of its diverse array of ordnance, high mobility and state-of-the-art sensors enable both autonomous and networked operation. Moreover, the compact design of the turret allows integration into a wide variety of manned and unmanned platforms such as Rheinmetall’s 8x8 Boxer wheeled armoured vehicle. The Skyranger closes the current world wide capability gap in mobile air defence.
