Germany to deliver additional air defence systems to Ukraine

The armaments group Rheinmetall will manufacture two Skynex air defence systems for Ukraine.

The company confirmed the order on December 9 but did not name the recipient country for the vehicles,  Handelsblatt reports.

According to information from government circles, it is Ukraine. The systems are scheduled for delivery in early 2024.

Skynex is intended for close-range air defence.

Like the Gepard anti-aircraft gun tank already delivered to Ukraine by Germany, the system shoots down attacking drones or cruise missiles with 35mm ammunition. While the Gepard was developed during the Cold War, the vehicles now on order are new developments.

Rheinmetall puts the price for the two systems at 182 million euros.

In addition, there are around 12 million euros for trucks, which are also to be built by the Düsseldorf company. According to the circles, the federal government wants to bear the costs. It is currently being examined which budget items can be used to settle these, it said. Rheinmetall's Skynex is designed to protect Ukraine from Russia's airstrikes.

With Skynex, Germany is expanding its support for Ukraine, even if delivery is not scheduled to take place until the beginning of the year after next.

In recent weeks, Russia has intensified airstrikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and cities intending to destroy electricity and water supply facilities.