Rheinmetall anticipates securing a major contract from the German Armed Forces later this year for Skyranger air defense gun systems valued between €6 billion and €8 billion ($7–9 billion), according to company CEO Armin Papperger.
Speaking on a conference call with analysts, Papperger did not disclose specific quantities, citing security agreements with the Ministry of Defense. Deliveries are expected to be completed by 2035, with procurement split into two phases — from now until 2029, and from 2029 to 2035.
Industry sources, cited by hartpunkt, indicate that the Bundeswehr’s requirement for short-range ground-based air defense could reach 500 to 600 Skyranger systems across all service branches. This aligns with the estimated contract value based on current unit pricing.In February 2024, Rheinmetall was awarded a €595 million contract to develop and deliver one demonstrator and 18 production Skyranger 30 systems mounted on Boxer vehicles. The prototype was delivered in January 2025, with series production vehicles scheduled to enter service in 2027 and 2028.
The Skyranger 30 is designed to address Germany’s short- and very-short-range mobile air defense needs. It can operate autonomously or as part of a networked system, using programmable AHEAD airburst ammunition to engage aerial threats, particularly drones.
The system’s turret integrates a 30×173 mm KCE revolver cannon, short-range surface-to-air missiles, and a sensor suite. For the Bundeswehr version, Rheinmetall will incorporate MBDA’s DefendAir missile — formerly the Small Anti-Drone Missile (SADM) — with a range of up to five kilometers. Each vehicle will carry 9 to 12 of these missiles, with development expected to conclude between 2025 and 2028, qualification by 2029, and procurement beginning in 2030.
The KCE revolver cannon remains the primary weapon, offering an effective range of up to 3,000 meters. According to Rheinmetall, its 30 mm airburst munitions are programmed at the muzzle to improve accuracy against small aerial targets, even under varying weather conditions.
Target detection is provided by Hensoldt’s SPEXER 2000M 3D MkIII radar, capable of tracking more than 300 targets simultaneously at ranges up to 40 kilometers. The radar provides full 360-degree coverage with three panels and can operate while on the move. An electro-optical suite from Chess Dynamics supplements the radar for identification and tracking.
The Skyranger 30’s combined cannon-and-missile configuration is intended to support Germany’s layered, mobile air defense strategy.