What Is Known About Skynex Air Defense That Ukraine Has

The “Shahed” slayer.

Germany transferred another Skynex anti-aircraft artillery system to Ukraine. We are talking about a system thanks to which you can shoot down a swarm of drones, as well as fight missiles, without using a very expensive resource.

RBC-Ukraine told in more detail about the Skynex air defense systems, its features and characteristics.

What is known about this air defense: characteristics, weapons

Skynex air defense system: characteristics, armament

Skynex is a surface-to-air artillery system developed by Rheinmetall. Introduced in November 2021, it belongs to the category of short-range air defense systems similar to the German Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. Its primary armament is the 35mm Oerlikon Mk3 automatic cannon with a firing range of 4000 meters and a rate of fire of 1000 rounds per minute. The cannon module includes an X-band tracking radar for autonomous target search.

Skynex demonstrated its capability by successfully intercepting a swarm of eight small UAVs during testing. It uses programmable 35mm AHEAD ammunition developed by Rheinmetall, which is more cost-effective compared to missile-based air defense systems. These ammunition types are immune to electronic countermeasures during firing.

The system incorporates the Oerlikon Skymaster command and control system, allowing remote operation from any location. It comes equipped with both high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing projectiles. It particularly offers programmable AHEAD ammunition, which enhances firing efficiency and reduces ammunition expenditure, especially against complex and maneuverable targets.

One significant advantage of Skynex over other air defense systems is its cost-effectiveness. While a missile for IRIS-T can cost between €300,000 and €500,000, destroying an aerial target with Skynex can be as low as €4,000. The system itself costs $90.5 million.

In addition to countering drone swarms, Skynex can also engage cruise missiles and operate as part of an integrated air defense system, receiving target information from a centralized command center.

Skynex in Ukraine

Back in December 2022, it became known that Rheinmetall would produce two Skynex anti-aircraft artillery systems for an unnamed country. Then the German media, citing sources, wrote that they were talking about Ukraine. Despite the fact that deliveries of the systems were planned for early 2024, in April 2023, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that Skynex had already been operating in Ukrainian airspace.

As it turned out, that year the first battery of an anti-aircraft artillery complex, manufactured at the facilities of Rheinmetall Italia and paid for by the German government, was delivered to the country. This delivery was paid for under a $160 million contract.