There is no doubt that European companies have taken note of the lessons learned from the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The international exhibition Eurosatory 2024, held in Paris, France, is a testament to this, where various firms have focused on artillery-based air defense capabilities to counter unmanned aerial vehicles of different types. One such company is the German Rheinmetall, showcasing its new Skyranger 30 and 35 anti-aircraft artillery systems, with the latter gaining special attention for being mounted on the turret of a Leopard 2 tank, reminiscent of Cold War-era designs like the Gepard.
Prior to the Ukrainian conflict, many European companies, like those worldwide, had focused on complex missile air defense systems. While these systems have not lost their relevance, the emergence of drones of various types and configurations has necessitated a resurgence in cannon-based anti-aircraft artillery capabilities, to complement missile systems by providing rapid response at short to very short ranges and serving as point defense for strategic installations.
Rheinmetall is one company that has demonstrated advances in this field, presenting its Skyranger 30 and Skyranger 35 anti-aircraft artillery systems, alongside the well-known Mantis air defense system. These cannon-based systems feature the capability to fire various types of ammunition, including new programmable rounds, and are mounted on diverse mobile platforms ranging from 8×8 trucks to armored vehicles like the VCBR 8×8 Boxer and IFVs from the Lynx-41 family.
However, one particular platform caught our attention at their Eurosatory booth. Rheinmetall unveiled for the first time a Skyranger 35 system mounted on the turret of a Leopard 2 main battle tank. Undoubtedly, this platform design echoes the Gepard systems that have served with the German Armed Forces and are still deployed and valued by Ukrainian crews on the battlefield today for their precision, rate of fire, and power to combat drones and other airborne threats.
Among the features highlighted by Rheinmetall are the rate of fire and firepower of the Skyranger family, based on Oerlikon revolver-type cannons of 35mm x 228 (Skyranger 35) or 30mm x 173 (Skyranger 30), offering short-range air defense capabilities with ranges of 4000 and 3000 meters respectively.
The modular design of the turrets showcased at Eurosatory allows for the integration of various passive and active sensors, including AESA radars, panoramic and optronic sights, to adapt to operational requirements. One of the latest announcements at the exhibition was the confirmation for integrating missiles from MBDA, enhancing air defense capabilities and potentially integrating directed energy weapons in the future.
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