Rheinmetall Skyranger 35

History

The Rheinmetall Skyranger 35 is a mobile short-range air-defense system centered on a 35 mm revolver cannon and programmable airburst ammunition. The system is designed for installation on wheeled or tracked armored platforms and for engagement of low-altitude aerial threats, including unmanned aircraft.

The Skyranger 35 concept predates the lighter Skyranger 30. In March 2021, EDR Magazine described the Skyranger 35 as Rheinmetall Air Defence's established mobile ground-based air-defense system built around the 35 mm Oerlikon Revolver Gun and noted that it had first been shown more than 16 years earlier.

Recent development has focused on updated sensors, new carrier vehicles and operational use. Rheinmetall has demonstrated the system on modern tracked platforms, while a Leopard 1-based configuration was developed for Ukraine and entered Ukrainian service by 2026.

Recent development

In September 2023, a redesigned Skyranger 35 turret was introduced with an Oerlikon AMMR active electronically scanned array search radar. A Leopard 1-based configuration intended for Ukraine was subsequently demonstrated during a live-fire exercise in September 2024.

At DSEI 2025, Rheinmetall presented a Skyranger 35 installation on the Lynx KF41 tracked combat vehicle. The company described this version as an autonomous mobile air-defense system with integrated active and passive search and tracking sensors. The Rheinmetall announcement confirmed the KDG 35/1000 cannon, its 35 x 228 mm ammunition, a maximum firing rate of 1,000 rounds per minute and an effective range of up to 4,000 m.

In October 2025, Rheinmetall announced a contract worth several hundred million euros for Skyranger 35 systems on Leopard 1 chassis for Ukraine. Reporting stated that an unnamed European Union country financed the procurement with proceeds associated with frozen Russian assets. Rheinmetall Italia in Rome was assigned integration work, while the number of vehicles was not publicly disclosed.

In November 2025, Rheinmetall chief executive Armin Papperger was reported as saying that the first Leopard 1-based Skyranger 35 would be delivered to Ukraine the following week. This represented the earliest explicitly reported delivery schedule for the Ukrainian configuration.

On September 3, 2026, the 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment publicly released footage showing Skyranger 35 systems in Ukrainian service. Defense Express assessed that the footage had been recorded no later than March 2026 because of seasonal conditions and stated that the unit was among the first recipients. The Defense Express report therefore indicates that operational use began before the public reveal in September.

Design

Skyranger 35 is a turret-based air-defense system intended for integration on different armored vehicle platforms. Prototypes and demonstrators have been mounted on several wheeled and tracked chassis, while the Ukrainian configuration uses a repaired and upgraded Leopard 1 tank chassis.

Weapon system

The principal weapon is the KDG 35/1000 revolver cannon chambered for 35 x 228 mm ammunition. Rheinmetall specifies a firing rate of up to 1,000 rounds per minute and an effective engagement range of up to 4,000 m. The cannon can use AHEAD programmable airburst ammunition, which is programmed to release sub-projectiles near the calculated interception point rather than relying only on direct impact.

This ammunition concept is intended to improve effectiveness against small and difficult aerial targets. Rheinmetall identifies drones, helicopters and precision-guided munitions among the threat classes that the system can engage at short and very short ranges.

Sensors and fire control

Modern Skyranger 35 configurations incorporate integrated search and tracking sensors. Rheinmetall's 2025 Lynx configuration was described as using both active and passive sensors. The redesigned turret introduced in 2023 was reported with the Oerlikon AMMR active electronically scanned array search radar.

Ukrainian footage released in 2026 showed automatic target tracking through the digital fire-control system and the engagement of an aerial target. The available material does not establish that every Skyranger 35 carrier uses an identical sensor configuration.

Leopard 1 carrier

The Ukrainian version combines the Skyranger 35 air-defense turret with a Leopard 1 tracked chassis. The chassis gives the system tracked mobility suitable for accompanying ground formations. Published images of the Ukrainian vehicles also showed updated electronic equipment at the driver's position.

The configuration repurposes the Leopard 1 as a specialized air-defense carrier rather than as a main battle tank. The sources do not disclose the exact number of Leopard 1-based Skyranger 35 vehicles supplied to Ukraine.

Operational history

Skyranger 35 entered confirmed Ukrainian service by 2026. The first public Ukrainian video was released by the 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment on September 3, although Defense Express concluded from the footage that the systems had already been present no later than March 2026.

The Ukrainian deployment places the system in a battlefield environment where reconnaissance drones, one-way attack UAVs and other low-altitude threats are widespread. The cannon-based system provides a short-range engagement layer that can be used without relying exclusively on surface-to-air missiles.

Variants

• Skyranger 35: Core 35 mm mobile air-defense turret system designed for integration on multiple wheeled and tracked platforms.
• Leopard 1 Skyranger 35: Tracked configuration developed for Ukraine using a repaired and upgraded Leopard 1 chassis. It was demonstrated in live fire in 2024 and entered Ukrainian service by 2026.
• Lynx KF41 Skyranger 35: Tracked demonstrator presented by Rheinmetall at DSEI 2025 with integrated active and passive search and tracking sensors.

Operators

• Ukraine: Leopard 1-based Skyranger 35 systems were in service by 2026. The number delivered has not been publicly disclosed.

Specifications (Skyranger 35)

General characteristics

• System type: Mobile short-range air-defense turret system
• Main armament: KDG 35/1000 revolver cannon
• Caliber: 35 x 228 mm
• Maximum firing rate: 1,000 rounds per minute
• Effective cannon range: Up to 4,000 m
• Ammunition capability: AHEAD programmable airburst ammunition

Engagement capability

• Primary target classes: Drones, helicopters and precision-guided munitions at short and very short ranges
• Fire control: Digital automatic target tracking demonstrated in Ukrainian service footage