Bundeswehr Awards Rheinmetall €595M for Skyranger 30 Air Defense on Boxer Vehicles

The Bundeswehr has awarded Rheinmetall a contract worth €595 million to supply the Skyranger 30 mobile air defense system for their Boxer armored vehicles.

The deal includes a prototype and 18 series production vehicles, with an option for an additional 30 systems. The prototype is expected to be delivered by the end of 2024.

The Skyranger 30 is part of the short- and very short-range air defense system (NNbS) recently assigned to Rheinmetall by the Bundeswehr. It plays a key role in the German government's European Sky Shield Initiative, where Germany is the lead nation in ground-based air defense within a NATO context.

The Skyranger 30 integrates a 30mm x 173 KCE revolver gun, surface-to-air missiles, and a sensor suite on a single platform. In the Skyranger 30, Rheinmetall combines a 30mm Oerlikon revolver cannon and a guided missile for engaging targets across various ranges. The Oerlikon cannon outperforms the FlakPz Gepard's dual cannons. The system includes Rheinmetall's own sensors, such as Hensoldt's AESA radar and the passive infrared sensor FIRST, providing 360-degree target detection and tracking.

Integrated into a lightweight unmanned turret, the entire system weighs less than four tons. Additionally, the turret features a dual launcher for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, with a more modern version compared to the Bundeswehr's introduced rocket.

The Skyranger 30 system is implemented with a Boxer for the Bundeswehr. The turret is integrated into a Boxer mission module, made mobile with a standard Boxer driving module.