New Skynex anti-drone system boosts Ukraine's defense capabilities
The first recording of a Skynex system turret, part of one of the two batteries, has surfaced online. This is Ukraine's latest anti-drone solution and much more. Here’s what it can do.
12:09 PM EDT, August 4, 2024
Ukraine received two Skynex point defense system batteries from Germany. These batteries provide protection against drones, cruise missiles, artillery shells, and glide bombs.
This system is an evolution of the highly praised Gepard system currently used in Ukraine. In the recording below, you can see the deployed turret, covered with multi-spectrum camouflage.
Skynex system — the drone and FAB killer
The Skynex system is the export version of the MANTIS systems used in Germany. It is based on the Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk3 automatic cannon with a caliber of 35 mm and a firing rate of 1,000 rounds per minute. It uses sub-caliber armor-piercing or programmable AHEAD ammunition.
The system's effective range is 3 miles, and it targets a wide array of threats. These include lightly armored targets like drones, cruise missiles, or aircraft, as well as heavily armored targets such as artillery shells or aerial bombs.
The cannon is aimed using a radar or an optronic head with a thermal imaging sight and a laser rangefinder. The target is eliminated with a multi-round burst, costing a maximum of tens of thousands of euros.
The rounds in the armor-piercing ammunition contain small tungsten darts capable of piercing more than 4 inches of armored steel. The programmable ammunition rounds are filled with tungsten pellets surrounding an explosive charge. This charge is detonated by a fuse programmed at the barrel exit after a specified time. As a result, a literal "wall" of destructive fragments forms a few yards in front of the target, shredding the drone or, for example, the rocket body.
The complete system turret weighs 11,243 pounds, including 252 rounds of ammunition. When firing multi-round bursts, this supply is enough to engage many targets. This is an excellent solution, but many such systems are needed due to the small defense area (preferably hundreds rather than dozens). It would also be ideal for the system to be mobile and mounted on a tracked chassis, which Germany has been considering in recent months.
