Germany’s Rheinmetall is set to supply Ukraine with an undisclosed number of Skyranger anti-drone systems mounted on Leopard 1 tank chassis.
The Skyranger is a short-range mobile air-defense turret designed to detect and shoot down drones and low-flying aircraft using rapid-fire cannons.
The company said the order is “worth a three-digit million Euro figure” and financed by “proceeds from frozen Russian assets.”
However, the delivery timeline, as well as the financing country, remains unclear.
The production and integration will take place at Rheinmetall Italia SpA at its headquarters in Rome, according to Rheinmetall’s Friday press release.
“We are grateful for the trust that Ukraine has placed in us,” Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, is quoted as saying.
The company has previously set up production for the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in Ukraine in October 2024, with plans also to set up ammunition production in the country.
While the Skyranger system Kyiv is set to receive is based on the Leopard 1 chassis – a German main battle tank introduced in 1965 and delivered to Ukraine in 2023 – it remains unclear whether the Skyrangers will be integrated into the Leopard 1s already in Ukrainian service or drawn from European stockpiles.
According to weapons tracking site Oryx, Ukraine has received a total of 170 Leopard 1 tanks since 2023, with 21 confirmed to have been destroyed.
The Leopard 1 Skyranger 35 pairs a tracked chassis with a 35mm revolver cannon firing 1,000 rounds per minute at targets up to 4 km (2.5 miles) away, according to the press release.
DW News, which also reported the German military’s planned purchase of the system on Friday, said the Skyranger marks the second time that a modern German air defense system enters service with Ukraine before Germany itself.