Romania has awarded Rheinmetall a major air defense contract covering the delivery of 24 Skyranger 35 systems and seven Skynex platforms. The Skyranger 35 provides mobile short-range air defense for maneuvering forces, whereas the Skynex system delivers networked, ground-based protection for critical infrastructure and fixed military assets.
The Romanian Ministry of Defence has valued the contract at €982 million ($1.12 billion), with the package also including two Millennium close-in weapon systems intended for naval air defense applications.
This procurement is part of Romania’s wider €5.7 billion ($6.6 billion) defense investment program, which additionally includes Lynx KF41 armored combat vehicles, munitions, and naval capabilities. Under the agreement, the Skyranger 35 systems will be mounted on the Lynx KF41 platform.
The acquisition represents a major step in Romania’s ongoing military modernization efforts, aimed at improving battlefield mobility, expanding counter-unmanned aerial system capabilities, and strengthening defense readiness in the strategically important Black Sea region.
The Skyranger 35 has been developed to counter a broad spectrum of aerial threats, including drone swarms, loitering munitions, and conventional aircraft. It integrates a 35mm Oerlikon cannon capable of firing programmable airburst ammunition, supported by advanced radar and electro-optical targeting systems. The platform can independently detect, track, and engage targets while in motion at ranges of up to 4 kilometers. Its effectiveness against low-cost loitering munitions, such as Shahed-type drones, has made it a key component of modern layered air defense architectures, where it can protect both mobile formations and fixed installations.
