DK - FMI buys Skyranger turrets for the Army's short-range air defenses

[Saithan]

The Ministry of Defence's Material and Procurement Agency has on Friday entered into an agreement with German Rheinmetall on the purchase of 16 Skyranger 30 towers. The system consists of machine guns and anti-aircraft missiles and will form the backbone of the Army's mobile anti-aircraft defense.​

The army's short-range air defense – also referred to as VSHORAD ( Very Short Range Air Defense System , ed.) – will have German-made Skyranger 30 towers as its focal point. It is clear after the Ministry of Defence's Material and Procurement Agency (FMI) signed a contract with the manufacturer Rheinmetall on Friday, which will deliver a total of 16 towers. This is what FMI writes on its website .

The towers are mounted on the Army's armored personnel carriers of the Piranha V type and are equipped with both a 30 mm high velocity cannon and a currently unknown missile system that should enable it to shoot down planes, helicopters and drones at very short distances.

Friday's agreement causes joy in FMI.

"The conclusion of the contract is an important step on the way to establishing the brigade's air defences, which in turn is an essential part of making the brigade fully operational. The choice of the Skyranger tower and its machine gun was made in close cooperation with our colleagues in the Defense Command's area,' says Lieutenant General Per Pugholm Olsen, head of FMI.

Expected delivery at the end of 2026​

FMI states that initially it will be an initial/prototype production of four towers which is expected to be delivered at the end of 2026. The initial production will be followed up by serial production of three times four deliveries during 2027 and 2028. FMI will do not disclose the price of the acquisition, which is commercially confidential.

FMI is currently in the process of choosing which missile will be included in the overall air defense system, and this process is also currently being kept quiet.
In addition to the Skyranger towers consisting of machine guns and missiles, the total air defense will include radar, operations center and communication systems, writes FMI on its website. As previously announced, the Danish defense company Terma will be responsible for making the system's various components work together.

OLFI - FMI køber Skyranger-tårne til Hærens kortrækkende luftværn

Hærens kortrækkende luftværn – også benævnt VSHORAD (Very Short Range Air Defence System, red.) – får tyskproducerede Skyranger 30-tårne som omdrejningspunkt.

olfi.dk