Ukraine just got a new game changing air defense system

Ukraine was just supplied with a powerful new air defense system that could prove to be a game changer in the country’s mission to defend its skies from Russian air strikes and aerial drone attacks. Here’s what we know about it. 

On January 4th, Germany revealed what was included in a new round of security aid for Ukraine. Among the several new weapons being given to the embattled country was the Oerlikon Skynex, an advanced air defense system. 

Photo Credit: YouTube @RheinmetallGroup

The news that Ukraine would be receiving an Oerlikon Skynex wasn’t new. In December 2022, Germany announced it procured two systems for $200 million and that they would be delivered in early 2024, according to the Kyiv Post. 

However, an Oerlikon Skynex may already be operating in Ukraine based on comments from the country’s Prime Minister Denys Shyhal, who said during an April 2023 visit to a Rheinmetall plant that a system was in use in Ukraine. 

Few other details were provided on the Oerlikon Skynex that was already operational in Ukraine. Where the system came from and how it got to Ukraine was a mystery, and so too was the damage it was inflicting on Russian weapons. 

Rheinmetall touts the Oerlikon Skynex as its latest solution for short-range air defense, and in that capacity, the arms manufacturer has designed the system in a way that allows it to meet the challenges of today's modern battlefields. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Ministerie van Defensie, CC0

For example, the Oerlikon Skynex was built to be modular. It comes with a shooter hub as well as a command hub and sensor array that all different units. They can be placed on the ground or mounted on vehicles to increase mobility. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Rheinmetall - Rheinmetall, CC BY-SA 4.0

The standout feature of the air defense system is Rheinmetall’s Oerlikon X-TAR3D. This allows operators to have full situational awareness up to 50 kilometers or 31 miles away and enables it to work with other air defense systems. 

Photo Credit: YouTube @RheinmetallGroup

The Oerlikon Skynex can also operate as a stand-alone system, and in that capacity, the air defense capabilities of the weapon can’t be understated. Remote-controlled turrets can use automatic target acquisition to destroy targets. 

Photo Credit: YouTube @RheinmetallGroup

Designed to protect against aircraft, cruise missiles, and a variety of drones, the system developed by Rheinmetall fires upwards of one thousand rounds per minute at a target from its four guns according to Business Insider’s analysis. 

Photo Credit: YouTube @RheinmetallGroup

The Oerlikon Skynex comes equipped with Rheinmetall’s Oerlikon Revolver Gun M3, as well as the Oerlikon Twin Gun and a variety of surface-to-air missiles so the system can engage nearly any target that flies within its defensive range. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Wolpat - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Rheinmetall’s system is also equipped with Advanced Hit Efficiency and Destruction, or AHEAD, technology, which is a special airburst ammunition. Each round contains 152 tungsten sub-projectiles that can be fired at oncoming targets.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Swadim - Own Work, CC BY-SA 4.0

"It can be fitted to any suitable automatic cannon and then successfully engage small, fast aerial targets with a high kill probability," Rheinmetall wrote on its website, which makes the Oerlikon Skynex an excellent counter-drone system. 

“Such a weapon mix generates a highly effective layered protection shield against a wide spectrum of air threats and provides the necessary answer against saturation and swarm attacks in the future,” Rheinmetall wrote about the Oerlikon Skynex. 

Photo Credit: YouTube @RheinmetallGroup

Another important aspect of the Oerlikon Skynex is that the system is far cheaper than other alternatives. For example, Business Insider noted that the US-Patriot air defense costs $1.1 billion while the two systems cost only $200 million. 

However, the Patriot and the Oerlikon Skynex are two different systems made for vastly different purposes. Still, the cheaper system will allow Kyiv to counter threats from drone attacks in a way that it cannot with the US-Patriot system. 

"We need such an effective weapon to defend ourselves against the drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine,” Denys Shmyhal said in April 2023. “It will save dozens of lives and important infrastructure for millions of people.”