Skynex

A German short-range, ground-based air-defense system built around a networked 35 mm revolver gun firing programmable airburst ammunition, designed to counter drones, cruise missiles and rockets at the point-defense level. Selected by Germany to protect critical infrastructure against drone threats.

In service since 2020 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km range

3,000

m altitude

km radar

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

German export-licensed

BAFA licensing with strict end-use review; approvals can be politically constrained.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2020. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Engagement range Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.: 4 km

Bottom 5% of air-defense systems
Engagement altitude Maximum target altitude the system can reach.: 3,000 m

Bottom 4% of air-defense systems

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 35 mm Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk3 with AHEAD airburst ammunition
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.: 35 mm
Guidance How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.: Radar-directed fire control

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: Multi-function search and tracking radar
Radar range Published detection range against a typical fighter-sized target. Higher sees first.: 20 km

Bottom 7% of air-defense systems

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 19% of air-defense systems

Specifications compiled from public Rheinmetall and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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