Germany plans to transfer the Skyranger 35 anti-aircraft system, mounted on a Leopard 1 tank chassis, to Ukraine. The system is built around a 35-mm Oerlikon cannon with programmable rounds that do not "hit the drone" but rather unleash a cloud of hundreds of tungsten sub-elements in front of it. The vehicle is capable of "engaging" drones even while maneuvering or operating in strong winds. Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi, deputy general director of the company producing electronic warfare equipment and an aviation expert, spoke about the features of Skyranger 35, as reported by UNN.
"As part of Rheinmetall's presentation at CMD 2025, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger announced that the first Skyranger 35 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun on a Leopard 1 tank chassis will be delivered to Ukraine next week," Rheinmetall reported on November 18.
Leopard 1 tank with installed dynamic protection in service with the 5th Heavy Mechanized Brigade
In September, it was reported that the German concern Rheinmetall would expand military aid to Ukraine by supplying Skyranger anti-drone systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine this year.
Earlier, UNN reported in detail on the air defense systems in service with Ukraine. In particular, Ukraine successfully combines Western air defense systems, such as NASAMS, MIM-104 Patriot, IRIS-T SLM/IRIS-T SLS, Crotale NG, and Soviet models - S-300, S-200, "Strela-10", ZSU-23-4 "Shilka", 2S6 "Tunguska", "Osa", "Tor".
As already noted, the Skyranger system has two modifications - Skyranger 30 and Skyranger 35.
The Skyranger 30 system is based on the GTK Boxer armored personnel carrier, while the Skyranger 35 system can be based on both the GTK Boxer and the Leopard 1 tank.
The GTK "Boxer" is a German-Dutch multi-purpose armored personnel carrier. The combat vehicle was created by the ARTEC GmbH consortium, headquartered in Munich.
The vehicle has a modular design and consists of a driver's compartment and a payload compartment. The modular design is one of the main features of this vehicle, as it allows the payload module to be replaced in 30 minutes even in a field workshop.
The armored personnel carrier was presented at the Eurosatory exhibition in 2010. The vehicle is equipped with a Lance model turret. The turret is equipped with an MK30-2/ABM cannon and a machine gun.
The crew consists of a driver and two soldiers in the turret, and the landing force can be up to six people.
Interestingly, in the version for the German military, the Boxer APC is equipped with an electric kettle and a field toilet.
Boxer APC with MK30-2/ABM cannon
Combat operation of Boxer APC and Puma IFV
As Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi told UNN, the Skyranger 35 system is the most modern European response to the war of small targets.
Skyranger 35 system based on Leopard 1 tank
The system is built around a 35-mm Oerlikon cannon with programmable rounds that do not "hit the drone" but rather unleash a cloud of hundreds of tungsten sub-elements in front of it. For FPVs, "Lancets", "Shahed-107s" and low-flying guided missiles, this means that there is no chance even when maneuvering or operating in strong winds. Radars and a separate tracking channel see small targets at distances where the "Shilka" simply does not detect them against the ground. The optoelectronic module automatically tracks the target, and the Leopard 1 provides cross-country capability and survivability
ZSU-23-4M "Shilka"
Khrapchynskyi adds that the tactical role of Skyranger 35 is to "create a 4-kilometer 'kill-box' around a brigade, convoy, or infrastructure object."
This is a separate echelon of short-range air defense that takes on what is impractical to intercept with missiles, FPV swarms, low-flying "Shaheds", reconnaissance drones, gliding bombs in the final section, and even MLRS/mines in C-RAM (Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar) mode. The system quickly switches between modes, operates without GPS, integrates into the general air defense network, and closes gaps that the Russians are trying to exploit by changing tactics with "drip" attacks, daytime approaches, and bypassing radar fields.
According to him, the Skyranger 35 system "differs in philosophy" from the Skyranger 30 version.
The "Thirty" is a light module for the Boxer with ABM ammunition and the ability to integrate short-range missiles. The Skyranger 35 is a heavy, full-fledged anti-aircraft missile and gun system (ZRGK - ed.) with greater projectile energy and better C-RAM potential. And a comparison with the "Tunguska" or "Shilka" is even incorrect, as Soviet vehicles are based on mass fire and analog radars of the 70s-80s. The Skyranger 35 works differently, not with a stream of metal, but with controlled detonation geometry, digital classification, and stable operation against targets that Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (ZSU - ed.) simply do not "see". This is already a different generation created for the drone war we are currently living in.
2S6 "Tunguska" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at an arms exhibition on the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day
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