Rheinmetall’s mobile Skyranger 30 air defence system has reached a key milestone on the road to series production, the company announced on 11 January 2024.
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 both stationary and mobile modes.
The Skyranger 30 A1 is a development testbed, the purpose of which 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 optimisation 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,” Rheinmetall noted in a press release.
As recently as December 2023 Hungary – a NATO and EU member state – contracted 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 30 mm × 173 KCE revolver cannon, of which the “immense firepower and precision have been impressively demonstrated under the most adverse weather conditions”, according to Rheinmetall. The 30 mm cannon’s effectiveness is enhanced through the use of programmable airburst ammunition.
The Skyranger 30 A3 is designed to decisively counter current and future aerial threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles, 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,” Rheinmetall stated. “Moreover, the compact design of the turret allows integration into a wide variety of manned and unmanned platforms such as Rheinmetall’s 8×8 Boxer wheeled armoured vehicle.”
