Ukraine is set to receive an unspecified number of German Skyranger 35 anti-drone turrets as early as next week.
The turrets will be fitted to the Leopard 1 chassis, bringing them into Ukrainian service ahead of Germany, based on earlier reports.
German arms maker Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger announced the news at Rheinmetall’s CMD 2025 presentation, according to support group German Aid to Ukraine on X.
“As part of Rheinmetall’s CMD 2025 presentation, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger has just announced that the first Skyranger 35 [self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon] SPAAG mounted on the Leopard 1 chassis will be delivered to #Ukraine as early as next week,” the page wrote.
The group added that the delivery is part of a “three-digit million sum contract which is paid for by an unnamed EU country through the windfall profits from frozen Russian assets.”
The planned delivery comes as Ukraine seeks more defense systems to counter increasing Russian strikes on critical infrastructure, with Kyiv recently concluding an agreement with Paris to acquire additional SAMP/T air defense systems.
Rheinmatall previously announced the plan for the Skyranger delivery in October.
According to Rheinmetall’s press release at the time, the production and integration will take place at Rheinmetall Italia SpA at its headquarters in Rome.
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 25 confirmed to have been damaged or destroyed.
In October, the German military is also rumored to be purchasing over 600 Skyranger systems – in addition to 19 already ordered – amid reports of unidentified drone sightings.
DW News noted at the time that Ukraine is likely to receive the systems before Germany – marking the second time that modern German air defense enters service with Ukraine before Germany itself.
What is the Skyranger 35?
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.
According to Rheinmetall’s brochure, the Skyranger can be fitted with either a 35x228mm cannon with an effective range up to 4,000 m (2.5 miles), or a 30x173mm cannon with an effective range up to 3,000 m (1.9 miles).
The 30mm turret can also carry short-range air-defense missiles, giving the system flexible coverage across close and short-range threats.
As for the version Ukraine is set to receive, Rheinmetall wrote in its October press release that the Leopard 1 Skyranger 35 would pair a tracked chassis with a 35mm revolver cannon firing 1,000 rounds per minute at targets up to 4 km (2.5 miles) away.