An international client has awarded Rheinmetall a contract to modernize its air defence systems. The total value of the order, now official, comes to around €120 million. Delivery is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2020. The modernization measures will enhance the combat effectiveness of existing Skyguard air defence systems. Among other things, the upgraded systems will have an improved capability against drones. The order also encompasses spare parts, technical documentation, training and instruction support as well as state-of-the-art ammunition.
Capable of bringing down fast, small targets, these Skyguard systems are used as inner tier of layered air defence of vital points and critical military infrastructure. Air surveillance and tracking radars round off the portfolio. A world leader in the field of ground-based air defence technology, Rheinmetall networks the full array of sensors, effectors, platforms and command&control assets into overarching, scalable system. This results in a highly effective, modularly designed, flexibly deployable ground-based air defence capability – a system of systems covering the entire operational spectrum.
The Oerlikon Skyguard system is contained within a towed trailer, mounted on the roof of which is a pulse doppler search radar, a pulse doppler tracking radar and a co-axial television camera by Oerlikon Contraves (renamed as Rheinmetall Air Defence AG following the merger with Rheinmetall in 2009). The trailer also houses the crew of two and a small petrol generator. Skyguard is an all-weather air defense system for the control of aircraft at low altitude and at low and medium altitude range up to 3,000 m. The maximum effective distance is given as 4,000 m. The system takes the air surveillance, target acquisition, calculation of the derivative-action values and the control of two Oerlikon 35 mm anti-aircraft guns. Skyguard is served by four people.
