Skyshield air-defence system is a modular, light weight, short range air defense (SHORAD) system developed by the Swiss corporation

Oerlikon Contraves Rheinmetall Air Defence AG is a division of German armament manufacturer Rheinmetall, created when the company's Oerlikon Contraves unit was renamed on 1 January 2009 and integrated with Rheinmetall's other air-defence products. Oerlikon Contr ...

(now a subsidiary of

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...

of Germany). The successor to the Skyguard defense system, Skyshield is intended to rapidly acquire and destroy threatening

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

and

missiles A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this u ...

, as well as to fulfill a C-RAM role.

Design

The weapons system itself consists of two 35 mm (1.38 inch)

revolver cannon A revolver cannon is a type of autocannon, commonly used as an aircraft gun. It uses a cylinder with multiple chambers, similar to those of a revolver handgun, to speed up the loading-firing-ejection cycle. Some examples are also power-driven, ...

s with a rate of fire of 1,000 rounds per minute, a

fire control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a Director (military), director and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs th ...

made up of a sensor unit and a detached command post. The Skyshield can use up to two

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

8-cell modules for an expanded air defense capability. The Skyshield is designed for traditional anti-aircraft roles in addition to defense against missiles (see

anti-ballistic missile An anti-ballistic missile (ABM) is a surface-to-air missile designed to Missile defense, destroy in-flight ballistic missiles. They achieve this explosively (chemical or nuclear), or via hit-to-kill Kinetic projectile, kinetic vehicles, which ma ...

). The Skyshield is deployed by trucks and other transportation systems. The

(FCS) uses an

X-band The X band is the designation for a band of frequency, frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is set at approximately 7.0� ...

search and tracking

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

X-TAR-3D, and another unit for radar/TV and/or laser/ FLIR precision tracking. The command post can be placed up to 500 meters, roughly, from the fire control unit (FCU), using encrypted radio-waves. The Skyshield system can be networked with other air defense systems for wider and more effective air coverage, expanding its roles from point defense to area defense. Radars for the acquisition and tracking of air and surface targets, named Oerlikon Tracking Module TMX Mk2 and TMKu Mk2, operated in X and Ku band respectively.

Variants

A modified and improved version of Skyshield with six fully automated turrets, dubbed

MANTIS Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate a ...

(Modular, Automatic and Network capable Targeting and Interception System) was ordered by the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

as a stationary base defence system. Two systems were delivered in 2011, with more orders being planned as a part of German Army's future "SysFla" air defence program. Boxer fitted with the Oerlikon Skyranger air defence system

Boxer fitted with the Oerlikon Skyranger air defence system

A mobile version called Oerlikon Skyranger 35 has been demonstrated with the turret fitted to a Boxer armoured fighting vehicle.

Operators

Skyshield

; : Indonesia operated four units of the Skyshield in 2017, and signed a second contract for additional eleven more units in 2017 but effective only in November 2018 due to funding issues. ; (4) : In March 2014, Rheinmetall signed a contract with South Africa to modernize the country's existing SHORAD systems. The contract encompassed the supply of Oerlikon Skyshield fire control units to substantially improve the performance and accuracy of South Africa's existing twin-gun systems, as well as significantly expand the operational spectrum of its air defence capabilities. South Africa currently operates 102 GDF-002 and 48 modified GDF-005 units. In this context, a number of the twin-gun systems will also be retrofitted with upgrade kits to accommodate Rheinmetall's state-of-the-art AHEAD anti-missile programmable ammunition including logistics and training services. The complete package was scheduled for completion by 2017.

Skynex

; (4) : 4 Skynex in a static configuration ordered in January 2025 to Rheinmetall Italia. : Each system is made of: :* 4 Revolver Gun Mk3 (35mm with AHEAD ammunition) :* CN-1 command module :* X-TAR3D X-radar ; : In October 2022, the Qatar Emiri Air Defence Forces revealed they had procured the Skynex, a modular air defense architecture centered around the Skymaster battle management system that can link components of the Skyshield. Rheinmetall is believed to have received a contract in October 2019 worth around €210 million (US$204 million) for an unspecified number of Skymasters, radars, and guns including AHEAD programmable air-bursting ammunition that is effective against small targets out to a range of 4 km. Video released by the Qatari Ministry of Defence showed eight 35 mm Revolver Gun Mk3s and one X-TAR3D target acquisition and tracking radar. ; : On 9 December 2022, a German government spokesman said that Rheinmetall would provide two Skynex systems to Ukraine as part of assistance during the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. Valued at approximately €182 million ($192 million), Germany would pay for the cost involved. The Skynex air defense system is based on a concept that keeps airspace surveillance separate from the effectors, only requiring a tracking unit to link a C2 network with different weapons. Each Skynex system comprises four Revolver Gun Mk3 cannons, a CN-1 control node, and an X-TAR3D radar all mounted on HX trucks. Planned for delivery at the beginning of 2024, the delivery of the first was announced on 4 January 2024. In April, Germany delivered the second Skynex system to Ukraine.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Oerlikon website
35 mm artillery Anti-aircraft guns of Germany Artillery of Switzerland Oerlikon-Contraves Missile defense Military equipment introduced in the 2010s