BAAINBw has concluded a contract with Rheinmetall to supply 19 Boxers with Skyranger 30 turrets. As the company announced, a prototype and 18 series vehicles will be delivered with the mobile air defense system. According to the information, the contract value is 595 million euros. The Bundeswehr expects the prototype at the end of 2024.
The Budget Committee of the German Bundestag released the funding for the procurement on February 21st (ESuTreported).
Das Skyranger 30-System gehört – wie die IRIS-T SLM – zu den Vorabbeschaffungen für das Luftverteidigungssystem Nah- und Nächstbereichsschutz, das im letzten Monat in Auftrag gegeben worden ist und an dem Rheinmetall im Rahmen der ARGE NNbS beteiligt ist.
As an essential component of NNbS, Skyranger 30 is embedded in the Federal Government's European Sky Shield Initiative, with which Germany has taken on a role within NATO as a leaning nation in Europe's ground-based air defense, writes Rheinmetall.

At the same time, the Skyranger 30 air defense system closes the current acute capability gap in mobile air defense. The system offers an optimal combination of mobility, protection, flexibility and precision in order to meet the growing requirements for challenging threat scenarios in the close and immediate 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 one platform. In Germany, the Skyranger 30 is equipped with the Stinger missile. Depending on customer requirements, various modern guided missiles can be used, e.g. Mistral - as in Austria - or special C-UAS missiles.
As the launch customer, the Republic of Austria recently commissioned the procurement of 36 Skyranger 30 systems (ESuTreported). Other NATO and EU members also want to join the procurement or have already initiated this, writes Rheinmetall. In December 2023, Hungary commissioned the company with the conceptual development of the Skyranger 30 turret for the future anti-aircraft variant of the Lynx KF41 tracked vehicle. Lithuania is also considering introducing the Boxer-based Skyranger 30. Denmark has also announced a corresponding procurement.
The system provided its final proof of performance as a functional demonstrator at the Rheinmetall testing center in Ochsenboden, Switzerland. During the successful test and shooting campaign, the system had to prove itself while stationary and while driving. The functional demonstrator provided important insights that make the production and integration of the German proof model significantly less risky and faster, according to Rheinmetall.
Editorial staff / gwh

















