{"id":38918,"date":"2026-11-13T09:16:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T07:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=38918"},"modified":"2026-11-13T09:16:55","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T07:16:55","slug":"belgium-to-acquire-20-skyranger-air-defense-systems-from-german-defense-firm-rheinmetall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/belgium-to-acquire-20-skyranger-air-defense-systems-from-german-defense-firm-rheinmetall\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgium to acquire 20 Skyranger air defense systems from German defense firm Rheinmetall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

3 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

German defense company Rheinmetall has signed a contract to supply Belgium with 20 Skyranger 30 air defense systems to protect the country’s territory and critical infrastructure against drones and other low-flying aerial threats.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2028, with the contract covering the systems and associated logistical support. The agreement, valued at several hundred million euros, will see the systems mounted on hook-lift platforms and deployed in stationary positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The systems will become part of Belgium’s wider Blue Dome air defense architecture, which is designed to strengthen the country’s protection against modern aerial threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contract follows negotiations that began in June 2025 and were completed in less than 18 months. It also marks a new stage in Rheinmetall’s 50-year partnership with the Belgian armed forces, which began with the delivery of Gepard anti-aircraft tanks in 1976.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Skyranger 30 for Belgium\u2019s Blue Dome<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Skyranger 30 is a short-range air defense system equipped with a 30 mm automatic cannon designed to engage drones and other low-flying targets. Its deployment will strengthen Belgium’s ability to counter the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial systems, particularly those that can threaten military facilities and critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The systems will be integrated into the command and control (C2) architecture of Belgium’s Blue Dome program, allowing them to operate as part of a wider air defense network. The architecture will also include NASAMS air defense systems that Belgium is acquiring through a joint procurement arrangement with the Netherlands<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Skyranger<\/a>
Skyranger 30 in a stationary configuration. (Image Credit: Rheinmetall)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The use of hook-lift platforms will allow the Skyranger 30 systems to be positioned at designated locations for stationary protection. This arrangement is intended to provide a dedicated defense capability for important sites and infrastructure across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Belgian Industry to Join the Program<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to supplying the systems, Rheinmetall plans to involve Belgian technology companies in the program’s industrial value chain. The company said local industry would play an important role in the project, with the aim of strengthening Belgium’s domestic defense sector and helping its companies expand into international markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rheinmetall has also expressed its willingness to extend cooperation with Belgian industry into other areas of drone defense, including stationary and deployable solutions. This could create further opportunities for Belgian companies to participate in the development and production of technologies designed to counter unmanned aerial threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The procurement process was carried out in close consultation with Belgian authorities and the Netherlands. Rheinmetall credited the Belgian government’s commitment to protecting its population, along with cooperation between the parties involved, for the relatively rapid conclusion of the agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roman K\u00f6hne, CEO of Rheinmetall Air Defense, said the contract opens a new chapter in the company’s partnership with the Belgian armed forces. He noted that the rapid development of airborne threats requires modern and integrated defense systems, adding that the Skyranger 30 would make a significant contribution to protecting Belgian territory and critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Rheinmetall<\/a>
Rheinmetall Skyranger 30 Mobile Air Defense System Infographic. (Image Credit: Rheinmetall\/edited by IRIA)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The agreement continues a defense partnership that dates back to 1976, when Oerlikon Contraves, now part of Rheinmetall, worked with Krauss-Maffei to supply 36 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems to the Belgian armed forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new Skyranger 30 contract represents a shift toward modern short-range air defense technologies, particularly systems designed to address the growing use of drones on the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With deliveries expected to begin in late 2028, the program will add a new layer to Belgium’s national air defense architecture while expanding industrial cooperation between Rheinmetall and Belgian companies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

German defense company Rheinmetall has signed a contract to supply Belgium with 20 Skyranger 30 air defense systems to protect the country’s territory and critical infrastructure against drones and other low-flying aerial threats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[62,1],"tags":[768,265,6,357,53,5,551,219,728,857],"class_list":["post-38918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-news","tag-air-defense","tag-belgium","tag-defense","tag-europe","tag-germany","tag-military","tag-nasams","tag-netherlands","tag-rheinmetall","tag-skyranger-30"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-a7I","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Rheinmetall-Skyranger-30-mobile-air-defense-system.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38918"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38938,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38918\/revisions\/38938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}