Rheinmetall presents Skyranger 30 on Piranha V

Rheinmetall presented the Skyranger 30 air-defence system on a Piranha V armoured vehicle, similar to what Denmark is procuring at its Ochsenboden firing range in Switzerland on 18-19 September. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)

Rheinmetall presented the Skyranger 30 (SR30) air-defence system on a Piranha V 8×8 armoured vehicle at a live-fire demonstration at its Ochsenboden range in Switzerland on 18–19 September.

At the firing demonstration on 18 September, the SR30 prototype –mounted on a Boxer armoured vehicle for the Bundeswehr – shot down a smaller quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and fired and neutralised a pick-up truck.

Both the SR30 and SR35 have a search radar and tracking device, while the former is armed with a 30×173 mm-calibre Oerlikon Revolver Cannon and the latter with a 35×228 mm-calibre version of the weapon. In addition, the SR30 has Stinger surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) for the Bundeswehr and will have Mistral 3 SAMs for Austria and Denmark.

The SR30 has a Spexer 2000M X-band radar from Hensoldt with active electronically scanned array (AESA) antennas with three panels providing a 360° coverage. The system features spectral-based micro Doppler target classification and can operate in high-clutter environments such as urban areas or during rainy weather. It can track while scanning for more than 300 targets per 120° sector.

The SR30's Oerlikon Revolver Cannon fires airburst munition at a rate of 1,250 rds/min from a linked ammunition belt, with a 300-round magazine. Its Kinetic Energy Time Fuze (KETF) ammunition contains tungsten sub-projectiles and is designed to defeat soft targets (UAVs, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, trucks, and boats), lightly armoured targets (attack helicopters, BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers), urban targets (adobe, concrete, brick), and personnel. It also has a counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar capability.

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