American Marconi Wireless News - Belgium Signs Contract for 20 Rheinmetall Skyranger Air Defence Systems

The Rheinmetall Group has secured a major contract to supply 20 Skyranger 30 air defence systems to the Kingdom of Belgium, marking a significant expansion of its long-standing partnership with the Belgian Armed Forces. The agreement, valued in the mid three-digit million-euro range, covers the delivery of stationary protection systems alongside comprehensive logistics support for national infrastructure.

The contract was signed less than 18 months after initial discussions began in June 2025. According to Rheinmetall, the swift completion of negotiations was attributed to clear political commitments from Belgian authorities and close binational consultation throughout the planning stages.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Düsseldorf-based defence technology group will deliver 20 Skyranger 30 systems configured on heavy-duty hooklift platforms. This specific design enables stationary deployment across key geographic sectors to safeguard Belgian national territory, military assets, and critical civilian infrastructure. Official delivery timelines established in the contract specify that initial hardware shipments will commence at the end of 2028.

The procurement of the Skyranger 30 systems is designed to address rapid advancements in airborne threat technology, specifically the rising prevalence of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and drones on the modern battlefield. The Skyranger 30 is armed with a 30 mm Oerlikon revolver cannon featuring airburst capability, integrated search radar, and electro-optical sensor tracking. These features provide short-range defensive firepower against low-altitude threats.

The systems will be fully integrated into the command and control (C2) architecture of the Belgian "Blue Dome" programme. This overarching layered air defence network is designed to coordinate radar detection, threat evaluation, and multi-tiered defensive assets across the national territory. Throughout the procurement process, the Belgian Ministry of Defence conducted structured technical consultations with both Rheinmetall and the Netherlands to ensure operational interoperability and coherent system integration across allied air defence structures in Western Europe.

A central pillar of the procurement agreement focuses on domestic industrial participation. Belgian technology companies and defence contractors will be directly integrated into Rheinmetall’s industrial value chain for the system’s manufacture, integration, and lifecycle support. This industrial model is intended to expand local technological capabilities and support the transition of Belgian security companies into international defence supply chains.

Rheinmetall has also formally expressed its intention to expand its ongoing collaboration with Belgian industry into additional technological sectors. Future joint areas of development under consideration include stationary and deployable counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) solutions.

The acquisition of the Skyranger 30 marks a continuation of a defence partnership between Rheinmetall and the Belgian Armed Forces that spans five decades. Exactly 50 years prior to the current contract, Oerlikon Contraves—now integrated into Rheinmetall Air Defence—collaborated with Krauss-Maffei to supply Belgium with 36 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft tank systems.

The transition from the legacy Gepard tracked systems to the automated, networked Skyranger 30 represents a modernization step in Belgium’s short-range air defence infrastructure. By incorporating autonomous target tracking, command network integration, and high-rate-of-fire kinetic effectors, the new systems update the country’s ground-based air defence force structure to address contemporary security requirements.

Roman Köhne, Chief Executive Officer of Rheinmetall Air Defence, stated: "With the signing of the Skyranger contract, we are opening a new chapter in our 50-year partnership together with the Belgian armed forces. The rapid technological evolution of airborne threats requires cutting-edge, fully integrated defence systems. The Skyranger 30 will make a decisive contribution to reliably safeguard Belgian territory and critical infrastructure."

The move reflects Belgium’s broader strategy to enhance its defensive capabilities in response to evolving security challenges in Europe. The integration of the Skyranger 30 into the Blue Dome initiative underscores the country's commitment to maintaining a robust, multi-layered air defence network capable of countering modern aerial threats.

B.Finley--AMWN