Faster ammo loading. Innovation for the German air defence system

In recent years, the aforementioned anti-aircraft system has been acquired by several European countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Romania, and Austria. Its growing popularity (with Switzerland and Portugal currently considering its purchase) is driving further development of this system by Rheinmetall. An example of this was the concept for a new ammunition loading system presented this year, as reported by the German portal Militär Aktuell in July.

New ammunition loading method

The presented concept involves replacing ammunition by removing the ammunition magazine and placing a fully loaded one in its place. This would be carried out using a robotic arm, which, along with ready-to-use full „magazines”, would be located on an 8x8 truck. This solution is ultimately also intended for the Skyranger 35.

Each such ammunition magazine weighs approximately 400 kg and holds 250 rounds. This solution is intended to reduce ammunition loading time from several dozen minutes to just a few. Furthermore, the crew remains safe inside the vehicle during this process, which is intended to limit losses caused by shrapnel and drone attacks (although protection against the latter is not fully effective).

Besides the arm, one such truck would carry 6 magazines; however, the concept envisages the use of an additional trailer with 12 units of fire (18 in total). This would significantly increase the vehicle’s autonomy. As part of this project, Rheinmetall has established cooperation with the Austrian companies Palfinger and Empl. This choice is not coincidental, as Austria is the first country that could begin using such an upgraded Skyranger 30 loading system.

The system presented some time ago for the Austrians was notable for its redesigned turret system compared to those shown at trade fairs. For the time being, however, the entire project is in the development phase, and no orders for this type of solution have been placed yet.

Skyranger 30 anti-aircraft system

Skyranger 30 is a very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) artillery and missile system that can be integrated into various land platforms. The main armament consists of a 30 mm Oerlikon KCA revolver cannon firing 30 x 173 mm ammunition, allowing for the effective elimination of air and ground targets at a distance of 3,000 metres, although the maximum range can reach 5–8 km. Its peak rate of fire is specified at 1,200 rounds per minute, while its nominal rate is 200. It can fire programmable ammunition. Very short-range guided anti-aircraft missiles, such as Mistral, Stinger, or Chiron, housed in a four-cell launcher, are intended for engaging targets at longer ranges.

An S-band AESA radar developed by Rheinmetall Italia is responsible for target detection. It allows for the detection of targets such as aircraft at a range of up to 20 km; for helicopters, this range decreases to 12 km, while for missiles, it is expected to be 10 km. Regarding C-RAM target searching and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the range is reported to be 5,000 metres. The Skyranger 30 can be integrated with additional detection systems. For self-defence, the vehicle is equipped with a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun. In the future, the system is also expected to be capable of eliminating targets using a laser beam. The weight of the system is approximately 2.5 tonnes. To date, it has been purchased by Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark, with Hungary and Switzerland also declaring their intention to acquire it in the future.