Rheinmetall Confirms Schedule for Skyranger Delivery to Austria

Rheinmetall Air Defence plans to manufacture 400 Skyranger units annually at three production sites in Zurich, Neuss, and Rome. Dürr described this production increase as almost "outrageous." "That is a factor of ten compared to what we do today." The company has "gone from a niche provider to a serial supplier." Customers interested in the products come on a daily basis.

Production and Sites

According to Dürr, delivery follows the "First come, first served" principle. Last year, there were approximately 1.5 billion euros in orders and almost 1 billion in revenue. Rheinmetall Air Defence is currently hiring 50 to 60 new employees per month, according to company figures. "We are working hard here at the technological frontier," said Dürr with regard to the integration of new sensors.

The Austrian Armed Forces' armaments director, Harald Vodosek, explained that the 36 Skyrangers are "just the beginning." He said he could envision ordering double the quantity during the factory tour. The systems are expected to be stationed with the 7th Brigade in Klagenfurt, the 6th Brigade in Absam, the 3rd Brigade in Mautern, and the 4th Brigade in Linz-Hörsching, explained the lieutenant general.

Technology and Stationing

The mobile Skyrangers will be mounted on new "Pandur" wheeled armored vehicles. With the modernized cannon, no soldier sits on the gun anymore; the shot is triggered from a container. A new automatic reloading system was developed jointly with the Austrian Armed Forces.

Austria is currently the only country with an order for Skyrangers. The system has not yet been integrated into the European air defense initiative Sky Shield. However, Vodosek said that European Sky Shield has "developed into an alliance of nations that want to work together within the framework of air defense." Various systems would be brought in. If at least two nations operate the same system, they can jointly place it under the umbrella of Sky Shield. The 35 mm twin cannon and the Mistral missile could also be incorporated. Should Austria opt for the German IRIS-T system, that would also be the case. However, that decision has not yet been made.

Integration into Sky Shield

The Skyrangers are intended to protect Austrian soldiers primarily against drone attacks and other airborne threats. If needed, they could also be deployed around the Austrian Parliament, according to Vodosek. Tanner does not expect any delivery bottlenecks or other problems for Austria despite the order situation.

Parallel to the Skyranger plans, Rheinmetall intends to deliver the modernized Austrian 35 mm twin anti-aircraft guns to Austria as per contract starting from the fourth quarter. Austria aims to complete the procurement of medium-range air defense systems by the end of this year.

Swiss Referendum and Implications

In Switzerland, a popular referendum on relaxing the restrictive arms export law is scheduled for November. Should the law not be relaxed, the Zurich site would not be at risk according to Rheinmetall, but would simply mean "more business" for the sites in Germany and Italy.

The complexity of the new developments, including the automatic reloading system developed jointly with the Austrian Armed Forces, poses additional challenges for the company. Dürr emphasized that new sensors must be continuously integrated and that they work "hard at the technological frontier." Timely delivery therefore remains an ongoing task.