As planned, Rheinmetall delivered the first air defense vehicle to the Bundeswehr at the end of January 2025. Boxer Skyranger 30. This system is the so-called verification model, which will be used for the approval required by the Bundeswehr. After the operators have received the necessary training, the acceptance test phase for operational acceptance will begin in spring 2025. Series delivery will mainly take place in 2027 and early 2028.
At the end of February 2024, the Bundeswehr had commissioned Rheinmetall to develop and supply a verification model and 18 series production vehicles of the Skyranger 30, vehicle-based Boxer.
The air defense system Skyranger 30 fills the current critical gap in mobile air defense. The system offers an optimal combination of mobility, protection, flexibility and precision to meet the growing demands of increasingly complex threat scenarios, both at close and very close range. As a hybrid solution, its turret integrates a powerful 30x173 mm KCE revolver cannon, surface-to-air missiles and the necessary sensors on a single platform. In Germany, the system was initially Skyranger 30 will be equipped with the anti-aircraft missile Stinger; it should later be adapted to employ a new missile specialized in defense against drones.
The advanced design of the various weapons, high dynamics and large elevation angle, together with the latest sensors, enable both autonomous and networked operations. The AHEAD ammunition, with programmable detonation position in flight, makes the system particularly effective against drones. The compact turret is integrated on the 8x8 tactical vehicle Boxer.
Lo Skyranger 30 is part of the European initiative Sky Shield. Additional NATO and EU member states intend to join the acquisition program or have already started it. In December 2023, Hungary signed a contract with Rheinmetall for the conceptual development of the turret Skyranger 30 for the future air defense variant of the Lynx KF41 tracked vehicle. Meanwhile, Austria and Denmark have also ordered the Skyranger 30 on various vehicle platforms.
Other EU and NATO states have expressed interest. At the end of January 2025, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that the Netherlands will acquire 22 systems Skyranger 30. The contract is expected to be finalized by the end of 2025.
