New Video From Ukraine Shows the German “Skynex” Hitting Targets

Finally! An air defense weapon system with a cool, futuristic name. “Patriot” is so 18th Century.

Ukrainian Air Force

Last January, the German government announced a substantial military aid package for Ukraine, which, no doubt, made the Americans blush a little at their then-recent impotence. Remember, back then, Ukraine aid was being needlessly held up in Congress.

Ah, if only there were a little, blue pill that would fix political dysfunction.

The German announcement came as a direct response to President Zelensky’s repeated requests for enhanced air defense capabilities.

At the start of the war, I watched in horror as Russia put cruise missiles into civilian apartment buildings; I envisioned a day in the future when Ukraine would have an “iron dome” of sorts, to protect its citizens from future Russian aerial aggression.

Now, almost three years later, Ukraine is shooting down, on average, nearly 90% of incoming Russian junk.

The German package from January included an array of military equipment aimed at significantly boosting Ukraine’s defense capabilities including Marder armored vehicles, tank and artillery ammunition, mine-clearing and bridge-laying tanks, ground surveillance radars, trucks, and assault rifles.

But the centerpiece of the aid package was the Skynex air defense system — two actually — and represented an investment in Ukraine’s air defense.

The Skynex deployment within Ukraine has remained under wraps – until now. In August, Ukraine officially announced that German Skynex anti-aircraft artillery systems had already started defending the Ukrainian sky.

This week, the press service of the Ukrainian Air Force’s Air Command West just shared this video of Skynex knocking down targets with its deadly “AHEAD” munitions.

Manufactured by Rheinmetall, (yep, the same company that makes tank guns for the Abrams and the Leopard), Skynex is a mobile, modular anti-aircraft artillery system, with all components being containerized for easy transport.

The system uses the Oerlikon X-TAR-3D situational awareness and detection radar, capable of scanning up to a 50 km (31 mi) radius.

It is controlled via the Oerlikon Skymaster system, which manages up to four 35mm Oerlikon Mk 3 Revolver Gun air defense cannons simultaneously.

In the US military, we call this type of system a SHORAD for “short-range air defense.”

This is different from traditional anti-aircraft missile batteries, like the Patriot, in that the Skynex is a cannon that uses programable, air-bursting ammunition.

And while a gun can still take down aircraft, this particular system will presumably be used in Ukraine to assist with drone defense.

That’s not to say that the Skynex can’t work together with other air defense systems.

In fact, this is one of its biggest selling points: This interoperability allows for seamless integration into Ukraine’s existing defense infrastructure, enhancing overall tactical effectiveness.

The system’s guns are housed in remotely controlled turrets, equipped with advanced fire control systems, enabling automated target acquisition and engagement.

Skynex is armed with a variety of ammunition types, including the innovative Advanced Hit Efficiency and Destruction (AHEAD) munition.

This programmable ammunition is designed to release a cloud of sub-projectiles at an optimum range, determined by an integrated laser rangefinder, to effectively neutralize both large drones and smaller UAV swarms.

While the donation of Skynex bolsters Ukraine’s air defenses, it’s worth noting that the delivery of only two systems, with a total of eight to twelve firing modules, somewhat limits their effectiveness.

Ukraine will need to deploy these two systems strategically to provide critical protection to key infrastructure and military assets.

I’m not saying that Germany’s donation wasn’t significant — each Skynex costs upwards of $200 million and Germany paid Rheinmetall to send them to Ukraine — it’s just that two systems that have such limited range (50 km) aren’t going to provide widespread protection.

But it’s still lethal.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of Skynex, compared to something like the Patriot missile battery or even the IRIS-T, is the speed with which the system can be packed up and moved to a new location. In theory, this should allow Ukraine to experiment with locations that need them the most.

This portability also makes them harder targets for Russian strikes — not that Russia would target them anyway as they seem happy to attack civilians over military targets.

SHORAD systems like this became popular in the asymmetric conflicts of the 2000s. Forward operating bases that were susceptible to incoming rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds used SHORAD to provide a level of assurance to soldiers stationed close to the action.

But the AHEAD ammo is what truly makes Skynex special, and so effective against LSS threats (Low, Slow, and Small) AKA drones.

The 35 mm version produced by Oerlikon Contraves splits each projectile into 152 tungsten submunitions “that form a cone-shaped pattern to destroy a target’s control surfaces and other vital components”.

So, it’s basically an exploding bullet with about 150 angry tungsten fragments moving at the speed of sound and shredding anything in its general vicinity.

If a target is missed, a self-destruct feature, which triggers a programmed detonation, prevents unexploded rounds from posing a threat to civilians on the ground.

Image courtesy of Tosaka. CC BY-SA 3.0

When this system was under development in 2021, Rheinmetall tested its 35 mm Revolver Gun against drone swarms with AHEAD ammunition.

An eight-drone swarm was neutralized with an 18-round burst, most of them being destroyed with the first 6 rounds.

Note the cute little Tungsten death fragments. Image courtesy Rheinmetall Air Defense. Used with permission.

I’m frequently impressed and terrified in equal measure at the innovations coming out of the “blow sh*t up” industry.

As I’ve written before, the only real winners in the Ukraine War will be the defense manufacturers. But I don’t mind, as long as Ukraine gets the tech it needs to solve its current termite infestation.

As for air defense, Germany has also donated 55 self-propelled anti-aircraft GEPARD guns, 13 TRML-4D air surveillance radars, 3 Patriot systems, 7 IRIS-T air defense systems, and thousands of Stinger and Strela Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS).

In Ukraine, nothing goes to waste.

I do not doubt that they will put these new weapon systems to good use protecting their citizens from Russia’s Iranian-supported suicide drone attacks.

All I ask is that we send more.

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