Ukraine received Skynex air defense systems

The Skynex air defense systems took over combat duty in Ukraine.

This was announced by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal.

During the visit of the government delegation to Italy, the Prime Minister visited the defense enterprise Rheinmetall Italia S.p.A.

This company specializes in the production of modern air defense systems. Rheinmetall’s developments include Skynex’s short-range air defense system, in which Ukraine is interested.

“We need such an effective weapon to protect against drones, by which Ukraine is attacked by Russia. This will save dozens of lives as well as important infrastructure for millions of people,” Denys Shmyhal stated.

Currently, such batteries are already on combat duty in Ukraine. The Prime Minister thanked the partners for their support.

Denys Shmyhal noted that now Ukraine is working to get more of these systems.

“We expand the horizons of cooperation between Ukraine and Italy in the field of MIC. We are considering the possibility of joint production of components for these systems. We are working to have more of these effective air defenses. They will create a reliable shield around our strategic infrastructure facilities,” the Head of Government said.

Recall that in December, it was reported that Rheinmetall would produce two new Skynex anti-aircraft systems for Ukraine.

Skynex is designed for short-range air defense. The system is capable of shooting down drones or cruise missiles with 35mm projectiles. The cost of two Skynex units is estimated at 182 million euros.

In addition, a memorandum of understanding was signed for the purchase of HX trucks worth approximately 12 million euros. These machines will be supplied with Skynex systems.

The 35mm Oerlikon Mk3 gun used in the Skynex air defense system has an effective range of 4,000 meters and a rate of fire of 1,000 rounds per minute. The gun module is equipped with X-Band tracking radar, which provides the function of autonomous target search, which makes targeting simple and fast.