Austria and Germany enhance Skyranger with Hensoldt radar

Skyranger 30 systems ordered by both Austria and Germany will be integrated with Hensoldt's Spexer 2000 3D MkIII radar. (Rheinmetall)

Rheinmetall's Skyranger 30 air-defence turret destined for Austria and Germany will be integrated with Hensoldt's Spexer 2000M 3D MkIII radar in a bid to enhance performance following an agreement signed between the two companies.

The EUR100 million (USD108.1 million) agreement, announced by Hensoldt on 30 July, aims to enhance the performance of the Skyranger 30's effectors and provide high-quality target classification and tracking, including while on the move.

The Skyranger turret will be integrated on Austria's newly acquired Pandur Evolution 6×6 armoured vehicles, procured from General Dynamics European Land Systems-Steyr, as well as Germany's Boxer 8×8 armoured vehicles. Skyranger 30 is filling a capability gap with the German Armed Forces following the phasing out of the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in 2010.

A Hensoldt spokesperson informed Janes that deliveries of the integrated system are already under way, although, they were unable to divulge further.

Denmark is also negotiating the procurement of the Skyranger 30, which will be mounted on the Piranha 5 wheeled armoured vehicle.

Skyranger 30 is part of a family of air-defence turrets developed by Rheinmetall Air Defence in Switzerland. Housed in a 2–2.5 tonne turret, Skyranger 30 can be mounted on both tracked and wheeled vehicles. The system is designed to defeat and protect vehicles from aerial threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and comes equipped with a 30 mm Oerlikon KCE anti-aircraft cannon and a variety of anti-aircraft surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) such as the Mistral and Stinger.