Germany’s best counter to Russian drones and missiles enters mass-production: Skynex

German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall plans to push production of its Skynex and Skyranger short range air defense systems to roughly four hundred units a year by two thousand twenty seven. The company aims to reach that production capacity through factories in Switzerland, Italy, and Germany, showing how seriously Europe is responding to Russia’s growing drone threat.

In fact, this pace reflects the pressure created by Russia’s investment in mass Shahed kamikaze drone attacks that try to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses with their large quantity and continuous launches.  Additionally, defending against this threat has become even more challenging because Russia is also increasing output of jet powered Geran models such as the Geran four and five, which fly faster and reduce the time available for interception. Ukrainian intelligence believes Russia now produces more Geran four and five drones than the older Geran two, with the number of turbojet drones used in attacks rising significantly over the summer.

For Ukraine and Nato, expanding short range air defence is a priority because Russia’s attacks are growing in number and include faster models that leave defenders less time to react

Skynex and Skyranger short range air defense systems are valuable because they can effectively counter a mix of threats, such as the new Russian jet powered Geran drones, cruise missiles, and other low flying objects and projectiles. Specifically, their radars and electro optical sensors can scan for incoming drones, while their networked targeting links them to other tracking data from other surveillance assets, allowing Skynex and Skyranger to efficiently and accurately address each incoming threat. Then, their guns fire airburst ammunition that explodes near the target and spreads fragments, which is particularly effective against drones built with light frames and exposed components.

An effective air defense works in layers, with Skynex and Skyranger reinforcing the short range air defense layer, where threats are already close and reaction time is limited. Their rapid fire guns deliver accurate fire with their airburst ammunition, leaving long range systems such as the Patriot to focus on incoming ballistic missiles. Hence, these systems strengthen the defense network, working effectively alongside other countermeasures such as interceptor drones and electronic warfare. Their integration can also serve different purposes, as Skynex is a modular ground based system that can be set up in multiple ways, while Skyranger is a mobile version mounted on armored vehicles, which allows it to move with troops.

If Rheinmetall reaches its planned output, Ukraine and Nato could protect more cities, bases and critical infrastructure. Hundreds of additional systems could let defenders reserve long range interceptor missiles for targets that require them, helping reduce the cost of countering mass drone attacks and preserving missile stocks during a prolonged war. In fact, Russia produces large numbers of Gerans because they are cheap and easy to manufacture, with even the jet powered versions reportedly dropping in price to around fifty to seventy thousand dollars. Notably, the modern Gerans are built with many three d printed parts, while the jet turbines are imported in large quantities from China. However, Rheinmetall and Germany could reduce Russia’s advantage in mass drone attacks by producing more gun systems.

These could give defenders a lower cost way to engage some drones, while longer range missiles remain available for threats the guns cannot reach. Rheinmetall Skynex and Skyranger current yearly production of seventy to one hundred units already significantly outpaces Russia’s production of Pantsir air defense systems, which, while not identical in nature, reaches only twenty five to thirty units.

Overall, Rheinmetall’s plan shows how much Europe’s ability to defend against drone attacks will depend on how quickly it can produce and deliver air defence systems. The rise of jet powered Shaheds forced Nato countries to rethink how they protect critical sites, and gun based systems such as Skynex and Skyranger offer a practical answer that can be produced at scale. Additionally, manufacturing hundreds of units per year will increase the availability of these systems in Ukraine, boosting its resilience alongside Ukrainian-based countermeasures. This scale of production shows that air defense is becoming once again an industrial race, where sustained output matters as much as technology.