The German budget committee has approved the procurement of a short-range air defense system for some 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).
A consortium of Rheinmetall, Diehl, and Hensoldt will develop the system by 2026 or 2027, according to Reuters.
It is likely to be based on Rheinmetall’s Skyranger 30 turret mounted on the Boxer armored personnel carrier, while Hensoldt will provide the radars for the system.
Skyranger 30
The remote control turret features state-of-the-art search and tracking sensors and the 35mm Oerlikon revolving gun or the 30mm x 173 KCE revolving cannon.
Air defense missiles such as the Mistral, Stinger, and Chiron can also be mounted onto the system.
Hungary and Denmark recently selected the system for their air defense requirements.
Short-Range Defense
The system will provide air defense capability within a range of 3 kilometers (2 miles) against threats such as missiles, drones, and low-flying aircraft.
Targets beyond three kilometers are meant to be intercepted by the IRIS-T SLS system.
It will plug the air defense gap left with the retirement of the Gepard system in 2010.