German automotive and arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has once again won a major order in the field of mobile air defense. The Kingdom of Denmark has contracted with Rheinmetall Air Defence to supply sixteen Skyranger 30 air defense turrets and additional vehicle equipment for an 8×8 wheeled platform for use by the Danish armed forces. The order is worth a figure in the low three-digit million euro range. In addition, the customer has ordered ammunition in the low double-digit million euro range. Deliveries of the serial turrets are scheduled for 2027 and 2028, while a prototype is expected to be delivered in late 2026.
Lieutenant General Per Pugholm Olsen, head of the Danish procurement agency FMI, stated: “The signing of this contract is an important step toward establishing the brigade’s air defence, which is an essential part of making the brigade fully operational. The selection of the Skyranger turret and its machine cannon was made in close cooperation with our colleagues at the Defence Command.”
Oliver Duerr, CEO Rheinmetall Electronic Solutions: “We are grateful that Denmark, another major NATO customer, now trusts our Skyranger 30. We are pleased to be able to integrate Skyranger into another vehicle platform. This demonstrates the modularity and adaptability of our system.”
The Skyranger 30 offers an optimal combination of mobility, protection, flexibility and precision to meet the growing demands of challenging threat scenarios at close and very close range. As a hybrid solution, its turret combines the powerful 30mm x 173 KCE revolver cannon, surface-to-air guided missiles and the necessary sensors on a single platform. The well-thought-out design of the various weapons, high dynamics and a large elevation range, as well as state-of-the-art sensors, enable both autonomous and networked operations. The system’s airburst ammunition with a programmable airburst point of detonation is particularly suitable for countering drones. The order that has now been placed once again underscores Rheinmetall’s role as a world market leader in cannon-based air defence. At the same time, it continues the success of the Skyranger 30.
The Republic of Austria has placed an order for the procurement of 36 Skyranger 30 systems as the first customer. Other NATO and EU member states are also planning to procure the system or have already initiated the process. In December 2023, Hungary commissioned Rheinmetall to carry out the conceptual development of the Skyranger 30 turret for the future anti-aircraft variant of the Lynx KF41 tracked vehicle. As recently as January 2024, Rheinmetall and a number of industrial partners were awarded a contract to develop the Close and Very Short Range Air Defense System (Nah- und Naechstbereichsschutzsystem, NNbS) for the Bundeswehr, in which the Skyranger 30 will be integrated as an important component in the future. In February 2024, the Bundeswehr placed a further order for the Skyranger 30 mobile air defence system. The prototype is to be delivered as early as the end of 2024, and 18 series-produced vehicles have also already been ordered.
