Rheinmetall will deliver Skyranger mobile air defense systems to Ukraine under a contract valued at “hundreds of millions of euros,” company CEO Armin Papperger told German media on Sept. 8. The deal is scheduled to be signed in London on Sept. 10, with the first units expected to arrive in Ukraine by the end of the year.
The Skyranger system can be mounted on platforms such as Leopard tanks and is designed to defend areas of up to four square kilometers against drone threats. It combines advanced tracking sensors with a rapid-fire revolver cannon, capable of firing specialized airburst ammunition that detonates near targets to increase interception rates. Rheinmetall says this provides a lower-cost alternative to missile-based systems, which are often too expensive to use against mass drone attacks.
Ukraine has struggled to keep pace with Russia’s escalating use of Iranian-designed Shahed drones. According to Ukrainian figures, more than 6,000 launches were recorded in July 2025, a 14-fold increase compared to the same month last year. While Ukraine has employed systems such as NASAMS, IRIS-T and Patriot to shoot down drones, the high cost of interceptor missiles makes this approach unsustainable against swarms of inexpensive targets.
The Skyranger builds on the same technology as Rheinmetall’s Skynex system, a larger modular platform already delivered to Ukraine. By offering a mobile, short-range option, Rheinmetall says the Skyranger is suited to countering saturation attacks while reducing overall costs. Each interception is estimated at around $4,000, compared to hundreds of thousands or even millions for missile-based defenses.
Germany has been one of Ukraine’s largest defense supporters in Europe, with Rheinmetall supplying tanks, artillery rounds, mortar shells and surveillance drones under government contracts. The addition of the Skyranger is expected to strengthen Ukraine’s layered air defense network as it faces growing pressure from Russian drone and missile strikes.
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Post Image Credit: Rheinmetall
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