Germany To Bet Big On Skyranger Gun System To Address Growing Drone Threat
Last week, it was reported that German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall is awaiting a multi-billion-dollar order from the German Armed Forces for its Skyranger anti-aircraft gun. During a recent earnings call, the firm's CEO, Armin Papperger said that he expected Skyranger contracts from the German military worth between $7-9 billion to be signed this year. The systems would be delivered by 2035.
Papperger didn't mention how many Skyrangers Germany is looking to buy, but the German defense and security website hartpunkt reports that orders of this kind of value could amount to between 500 and 600 systems. The same sorts of figures have been suggested by unnamed well-informed sources, hartpunkt adds.
Whatever the final figure, this is clearly a very significant investment. It's also notable that the Skyranger represents a type of capability that the German Armed Forces did away with after the end of the Cold War.
Previously, the German Army relied on the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun to fulfill many of its short-range air defense (SHORAD) needs, especially on the battlefield. Armed with twin radar-aimed 35mm automatic cannons, mounted on a single turret, the Gepard was based on the chassis of the Leopard 1 main battle tank, meaning it could keep up with armored formations on the move. Search and tracking radars on the Gepard allowed it to locate, track, and engage targets at night and amid poor weather conditions.
Although withdrawn from service by Germany in 2010, the Gepard has since found a new lease of life in Ukrainian hands, where it has won plaudits for its performance against Shahed/Geran-type one-way long-range attack drones, in particular.Originally, the Gepard and point defense systems like it were intended primarily to engage low-flying tactical aircraft, including helicopters, and to a lesser degree, cruise missiles and tactical jets. Now, conflicts like that in Ukraine have underscored the threat posed by all kinds of drones, as well as cruise missiles. This has led to many different nations seriously rethinking their SHORAD requirements, which were widely neglected once the perceived threat of the Warsaw Pact evaporated. You can read our in-depth article on how this affected the U.S. Army, in particular, here.
A video reportedly showing two Russian Shahed-136 (Geran-2) loitering munitions being shot down by the Ukrainians with a German-delivered Flakpanzer Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) during last night's attack in Odesa Oblast, southern Ukraine.… pic.twitter.com/OhH7vTultm
— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) September 7, 2023
What's perhaps most notable about the drone threat, in particular, is how it extends all the way from the kinds of large-scale warfare that would be anticipated in a future conflict between China and the United States in the Pacific, all the way down to smaller national armed forces, and even to non-state actors.
It's also worth noting that Germany has already ordered Rheinmetall's Skyranger.
In February 2024, the company announced the award of a $695-million contract to supply the German Armed Forces with the Skyranger 30 system, comprising one prototype and 18 series-production vehicles. An option exists for a further 30 systems.
The initial Skyranger 30 order is part of the German military's Nah- und Nächstbereichsschutz (NNbS) program, which translates as short- and very short-range air defense.
In the German application, the Skyranger 30 is integrated into an 8×8 Boxer wheeled armored vehicle. While this doesn't offer the same levels of protection and mobility as the older Gepard, it's cheaper and more easily deployable. Since it's on a wheeled armored platform, it still offers good levels of mobility and protection.
In terms of firepower, the Skyranger 30 turret is armed with a single 30mm x 173 KCE revolver gun, rather than the twin 35mm cannons found on the Gepard. However, the guns are supplemented by short-range surface-to-air missiles, which can comprise FIM-92 Stinger, Mistral, or specialized counter-uncrewed air system (CUAS) interceptors. Germany has selected Stinger missiles, which it already uses in the SHORAD role.
The guns are also provided with more modern ammunition than was the case with the Gepard, including programmable airburst ammunition, like the AHEAD from Oerlikon. These rounds release a cloud of sub-projectiles just ahead of a target, increasing the probability of a kill and making it better suited to tackling low, slow, and small air threats like drones, rockets, and mortar projectiles. As well as increasing the speed of engagements and boosting lethality, airburst rounds also significantly reduce the risk of collateral damage on the ground. The typical effective range of the 30mm cannon is around 1.8 miles.
The primary sensor is the Spexer 2000 3D MKIII X-band pulse-Doppler radar from the German Hensoldt company, which is designed to be especially effective in detecting and tracking small drones, among other aerial threats. It can detect targets at distances of up to 25 miles and is also integrated with an electro-optical sensor package for detection, identification and engagement.
As well as Germany, the Skyranger 30 has also been ordered by Austria, and Rheinmetall has reported interest from Lithuania and Denmark. Hungary has meanwhile tasked the company with developing a version of the Skyranger 30 mounted on the Lynx KF41 tracked armored fighting vehicle, as seen in the video below.
While there's now widespread agreement that the SHORAD capabilities of many armed forces, especially within NATO, have become alarmingly eroded, especially in light of the fast-developing drone threat, there remain some questions about the best way of dealing with this new reality.
On the one hand, gun-based systems like the Skyranger 30 are notably cheaper than using missiles against the same kinds of targets, especially when it comes to lower-end drones that may only cost a matter of several tens of thousands of dollars, or far less.
There is also little doubt about the effectiveness of anti-aircraft guns against these kinds of targets.
Even the aging Gepard has been reported as having had excellent results in Ukrainian service. There are multiple accounts testifying to the effectiveness of the Gepard against Russian drones, and in some cases, cruise missiles, especially when used in a point defense role against various low-flying aerial targets.
However, sourcing the necessary ammunition for Ukraine's German Gepards has proved difficult. As we've noted previously, the vehicles' 35mm automatic cannons were produced in Switzerland, as are significant stockpiles of shells for them. That country's policy of neutrality in regard to the conflict forced the German government to pursue a deal with domestic defense contractor Rheinmetall to restart production of 35mm ammunition in 2023.
Ukrainian serviceman talks about his experience commanding the Gepard air-defence system crew. pic.twitter.com/scAEWVHNRx
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) May 26, 2023
Even if the required ammunition is available, it's still not the cheapest solution, especially when it comes to lower-end threats. There is an argument that these are better dealt with by lighter anti-aircraft guns, typically firing 50-caliber ammunition. This is not only considerably cheaper than cannon ammunition for 30mm or 35mm weapons, but is also much more readily available.
Ukraine has also introduced a 50-caliber SHORAD system that's optimized to defeat Russian drones, known as Sky Sentinel. This has been described by the Ukrainian Armed Forces as 'a cost-effective and scalable solution for defending both cities and frontline regions from Shaheds, reconnaissance drones, and even cruise missiles.'
While Sky Sentinel's range is classified, it combined a 50-caliber heavy machine gun with an AI-enabled fire-control system, and the prototype reportedly found immediate success in bringing down Shahed/Geran drones. Notably, the program was also funded for the military by volunteer donations.
Each Sky Sentinel unit costs around $150,000, compared to around $10-12 million for a Skyranger. Using AI also means the Sky Sentinel requires a relatively small crew to operate it, making it ideal for the defense of critical fixed infrastructure.
Of course, while a system like the Skyranger is far more expensive than the Sky Sentinel, it is also much more versatile and far more capable. Its range and overall performance mean it can engage a far wider variety of targets, over a much bigger area, and also engage multiple targets more quickly. Meanwhile, its armored platform allows it to traverse the battlefield and provide organic air defense for units on the move. In contrast, a 50-caliber air-defence gun provides a very short effective engagement range against a limited number of gargets in a short timeframe.
At the same time, as mentioned above, Germany considers the Skyranger 30 to be just one component of a multi-layered ground-based air defense 'umbrella' that should be able to deal with the whole spectrum of threats, ranging from ballistic missiles all the way down to nano-drones. This will involve a wide range of different air defense solutions, including non-kinetic ones. Anti-aircraft cannons like the Skyranger 30 will play a critical role, but will be a part of a more complex air defense picture.
It should also be noted that, since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Rheinmetall has also explored the possibility of lower-cost self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. Most interestingly, it has looked at whether Cold War-era Leopard 1 tanks can have their turrets swapped out to be fitted with the Skyranger 35 system, in an initiative driven by Ukraine's insatiable demand for ground-based air defenses. The company has also pitched its more modern Leopard 2 with the same turret, indicative of a broader resurgence in interest in SHORAD systems.
Looking further ahead, directed-energy weapons like lasers and microwave emitters, as well as CUAS interceptor drones, will likely augment and possibly one day replace gun and missile systems in many areas, especially in terms of engaging small drones, as well as counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) work.
For the time being, however, Germany looks like it is going to respond to the fast-developing drone threat by investing heavily in the Skyranger 30. Such is the scale of the likely procurement that Germany should be able to field Skyranger 30 both in a battlefield SHORAD role and in point defense of critical infrastructure, where a potentially hostile drone presence has already become manifest.
With this, the German Armed Forces are set to regain the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun capability that was lost with the withdrawal of the Gepard.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
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