On September 18th, 2024, at the Ochsenboden Testing Centre in Studen, Switzerland, Rheinmetall unveiled its Skyranger 35 anti-aircraft system mounted on the Leopard 1 tank chassis. This high-profile event, titled the Skyranger System Demonstration 2024, gathered defense officials, military personnel, and industry leaders from 26 countries, offering an exclusive first look at Rheinmetall’s latest innovation in mobile air defense. This demonstration marked the debut of the Skyranger 35 system on the Leopard 1 platform, which follows the system’s earlier appearance on the Leopard 2 chassis at the Eurosatory 2024 exhibition in Paris. With this unveiling, Rheinmetall has positioned the Skyranger 35 as a cutting-edge solution for short-range air defense (SHORAD), specifically designed to meet modern and future battlefield challenges. The event demonstrated Rheinmetall’s commitment to providing military forces with a highly versatile, powerful, and adaptive mobile air defense system. The Skyranger 35 represents a significant leap forward in Rheinmetall’s air defense technology, designed as a modern alternative to older systems like the Flakpanzer Gepard, which was first introduced in 1976. While the Gepard has seen renewed use in recent conflicts, particularly by Ukraine in its defense against Russian missile and drone attacks, it lacks the advanced technological capabilities offered by the Skyranger 35.
The Skyranger 35 system is built around Rheinmetall’s renowned 35 mm Oerlikon revolver cannon. Capable of firing 1,000 rounds per minute, this rapid-fire cannon is optimized for Rheinmetall’s Advanced Hit Efficiency And Destruction (AHEAD) ammunition—a sophisticated airburst round that releases a cloud of sub-projectiles just ahead of its target. This makes the Skyranger 35 highly effective against a range of modern threats, including low, slow, and small (LSS) aerial targets like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as performing Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) duties. The Skyranger 35 is equipped with an advanced sensor suite, capable of tracking multiple targets simultaneously. This includes the Oerlikon AMMR (Active Multi-Mode Radar) system, which employs four air-cooled AESA antennas providing 360° surveillance. The radar system operates in the S-band and is capable of detecting even the smallest of aerial targets, such as drones, which have become an increasingly prominent threat on the battlefield. On the turret’s roof sits a tracking head that includes a Ku-band radar, thermal imaging cameras, television sensors, and dual laser rangefinders—one optimized for ground targets and the other for air targets—ensuring the system can engage with both precision and accuracy.
The version of the Skyranger 35 demonstrated in Switzerland was mounted on the Leopard 1A5BE chassis, highlighting the system’s adaptability. The Leopard 1’s chassis has been modified to accommodate the Skyranger turret by welding a pedestal with a support ring to the upper plate, allowing it to securely hold the turret. The turret itself was borrowed from the Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk3 transportable/self-propelled gun, a design tailored specifically for mobile platforms. This version features a lower profile than previous iterations, designed to reduce the vehicle’s height while maintaining full functionality. The Skyranger 35 turret weighs 4.25 tons when fully loaded, yet despite its size, it is entirely unmanned and controlled remotely by two operators inside the vehicle. Its rotation capabilities allow for a 360° field of fire, while the cannon can elevate up to 85°, making it effective against high-flying aerial threats as well as ground targets. The system’s ammunition feeding system is beltless, contributing to the turret’s efficiency. The magazine, which holds 252 rounds of 35×228 mm ammunition, is located at the rear of the turret. One of the most notable aspects of the Skyranger 35 is its modularity. Rheinmetall has ensured that the system is not restricted to the Leopard 1 chassis; it can also be mounted on other tracked or wheeled vehicles, such as armored personnel carriers (APCs) and infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).
In an era where asymmetric warfare and drone technology have dramatically reshaped the battlefield, air defense systems like the Skyranger 35 have become critical assets. The system’s ability to fire programmable AHEAD ammunition offers a key advantage in neutralizing UAVs, which have become a staple of modern warfare. The AHEAD rounds, designed to release sub-projectiles just before impact, allow for precision engagement of small, fast-moving aerial targets that conventional rounds would struggle to hit. Moreover, the Skyranger 35’s radar and sensor capabilities are finely tuned to detect even the smallest of drones, which pose a unique challenge to traditional air defense systems. The Oerlikon AMMR radar system’s ability to provide constant 360° surveillance ensures no target goes undetected, while the Ku-band radar and EO/IR cameras offer precise tracking, even in adverse weather conditions or at night. The system’s dual laser rangefinders further enhance its targeting accuracy, allowing it to engage both ground and aerial threats with a high degree of precision.
