For approximately €600 million, or $650 million, Germany will buy up to 49 Skyranger 30 air defense systems from Rheinmetall, the company said in a press release this week.
The Boxer armored fighting vehicles of the Bundeswehr will be equipped with the Skyranger 30 weapons stations. The system in the German configuration includes Stinger surface-to-air missiles, a 30-millimeter gun, and a suite of sensors. It claims to be able to take down drones, cruise missiles, fixed-wing, and rotary-wing aircraft. It will also be networked with other air defense systems of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces.
One prototype, eighteen production vehicles, and a thirty-car option are included in the order. By year's end, Rheinmetall had promised to deliver the prototype to the Bundeswehr.
The military's endeavor to create an integrated air defense system for close- and short-range protection includes the €595 million acquisition from Germany. The maker stated in a news release that the Skyranger 30 platform will be crucial to this project.
The German government assigned a consortium consisting of Rheinmetall, Diehl, and sensor company Hensoldt the responsibility of developing this capacity for the Bundeswehr for a total of €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) just one month ago, on January 25.
According to a January statement from Diehl Defense, the contract was intended to build the essential solutions for networking individual components, integrating the IRIS T-SLM air defense system, ensuring interoperability, and extending the interception range to the short range. According to the company, this will enable the Skyranger 30 system to function both alone and in conjunction with other systems.
