The German Army procures new "flak tanks"

By procuring the anti-aircraft gun tank, known as the "Flak-Panzer", of the Skyranger 30 type, the Bundeswehr closes a capability gap in the area of mobile defense against unmanned aerial systems (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System, C-UAS). A corresponding contract was signed today at the Bundeswehr Procurement Office with Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH. The project was approved by the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag last week.

The contract that has now been concluded includes the procurement of a prototype as well as 18 production vehicles of the new Flak-Panzer. Delivery of the prototype is expected by the end of 2024. The production vehicles are expected to be delivered starting in early 2026 after successful qualification. Additionally, there is an option to procure 30 additional systems. The basis will be the armored transport vehicle Boxer, on which the air defense components will be installed.

The subsystem of the short- and very-short-range air defense system will initially be equipped with a 30mm caliber machine cannon and the Stinger missile. Later on, another guided missile will be added to strengthen the defense capability against airborne attacks.

The new tank is designed so that it can be easily combined with existing air defense components and fully integrated into their units. With the procurement of the Skyranger 30, the gap left by the decommissioning of the Gepard anti-aircraft gun tank will be closed in the long term.

At the same time, the air defense system Skyranger 30 closes the current acute capability gap in mobile air defense. The system offers an optimal combination of mobility, protection, flexibility, and precision to meet the growing demands of challenging threat scenarios in the short and very-short range. As a hybrid solution, its turret combines the powerful 30mm x 173 KCE revolver cannon, surface-to-air guided missiles, and the necessary sensors on one platform. The Skyranger 30 in Germany will be equipped with the Stinger missile. Depending on customer requirements, various modern guided missiles can be used, such as Mistral or special C-UAS missiles.

The well-thought-out design of various effectors, high dynamics, a large elevation range, and state-of-the-art sensors enable both autonomous and networked operations. The system is particularly suitable for drone defense thanks to its programmable airburst ammunition. The compact turret will be integrated on the tactical 8x8 Boxer vehicle.

As an initial customer, the Republic of Austria recently placed an order for 36 Skyranger 30 systems. Other NATO and EU members also plan to join the procurement or have already begun the process. In December 2023, Hungary commissioned Rheinmetall to conceptually develop the Skyranger 30 turret for the future air defense variant of the Lynx KF41 tracked vehicle. Lithuania is also considering introducing the Skyranger 30 based on the Boxer. Denmark has also announced a similar procurement.

In December 2023, a successful test and shooting campaign was conducted with the functional demonstrator of the Skyranger 30 at the testing center in Ochsenboden, Switzerland, where the system had to prove itself standing still and on the move. The functional demonstrator provides important insights that will make the production and integration of the German proof-of-concept significantly less risky and faster.

GERMAN ARMED FORCES online