Head of Rheinmetall Landsysteme Björn Bernhard has announced that the 35 mm air defence weapon is being integrated into Leopard 1 MBT chassis for Ukraine. BILD has reported that maintenance works for Marder 1A3 IFVs are ongoing, and the firm is planning to provide ten Skyranger 35 gun-based air defence systems on Leopard 1 MBT chassis. Skyranger 35’s firepower consists of a single 35 mm Oerlikon 35/1000 revolver cannon firing AHEAD airburst ammunition, providing increased hit probability compared to the existing Gepard SPAAGs used by Ukraine, which use a pair of 35 mm revolver cannons.
Germany-based hartpunkt.de reports that ten units are planned for delivery to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Skyranger 35, a more modern gun-based air defence system than Gepard, offers improved engagement capabilities. While Gepard relies on a two-axis search radar that turns for a 360-degree scan, Skyranger 35 uses four AMMR AESA radars with greater precision against smaller targets like UAVs. More importantly, AHEAD ammunition creates a cone of smaller projectiles upon airburst to hit small targets with fewer rounds.
Björn Bernhard also stated that the firm plans to produce and deliver the KF-41 IFV to Ukraine, the successor to Marder 1A3 in design.
