DSEI 2025: Germay's Rheinmetall transforms Lynx KF41 IFV into armored anti-drone air defense vehicle.

German company Rheinmetall presents an air-defense variant of its Lynx KF41 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) at DSEI 2025 in London, unveiling the new Lynx Skyranger 35. This marks the first time the defense manufacturer has integrated its Skyranger 35 turret system onto a tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), creating a highly mobile, autonomous short-range air defense (SHORAD) combat vehicle designed for frontline deployment in high-threat environments.
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The new Lynx Skyranger 35, unveiled by German company Rheinmetall at DSEI 2025, combines the KF41 tracked chassis with a 35mm airburst-capable turret for mobile anti-drone and short-range air defense operations. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

The unveiling of the Rheinmetall KF41 Lynx Skyranger 35 also signals Rheinmetall’s deliberate push into a new category of armored SHORAD (short-range air defense) vehicles, purpose-built to meet the demands of a modern battlefield defined by saturation drone attacks, loitering munitions, and precision-guided threats. Drawing directly from the operational lessons of the war in Ukraine, Rheinmetall developed this new variant to address the growing vulnerability of armored formations to airborne threats that are increasingly cheap, agile, and lethal. Traditional static air defense systems have proven insufficient in this rapidly evolving threat environment. What is needed, Rheinmetall argues, is a platform that is as mobile, protected, and networked as the armored vehicles it is designed to defend.

At the heart of the system is the Skyranger 35 turret, a next-generation turreted air defense module that mounts the 35mm KDG 35/1000 revolver cannon firing NATO-standard 35x228mm ammunition at a rate of 1,000 rounds per minute. The weapon is capable of engaging a wide range of aerial targets at short and very short distances, including Group 1 to Group 3 UAVs, rotary-wing aircraft, loitering munitions, cruise missiles, and incoming PGMs. The system boasts an effective horizontal engagement range of up to 4,000 meters and a vertical engagement ceiling exceeding 3,000 meters, providing robust low-altitude coverage where drones and helicopters operate most frequently.

What truly sets the Skyranger 35 apart is its integration of AHEAD (Advanced Hit Efficiency And Destruction) airburst ammunition. Each 35mm AHEAD round contains a programmable fuse and up to 152 sub-projectiles. Upon approaching the target, the round detonates with precise timing, creating a dense cloud of high-velocity tungsten pellets that shred incoming drones, missiles, or aircraft components with devastating effect. This mechanism dramatically increases the probability of kill against small, fast, and low-signature targets that would be difficult to destroy with conventional point-detonation rounds. A single AHEAD burst can neutralize a small quadcopter UAV or damage critical systems on larger drones such as navigation modules, rotors, or sensors. This makes the Skyranger 35 particularly effective against the growing threat of drone swarms and low-cost loitering munitions used in saturation attacks.

Combat effectiveness is further enhanced by a fully integrated sensor suite comprising active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, infrared search and track (IRST), day and night electro-optical cameras, and laser rangefinders. These sensors enable 360-degree situational awareness, automated threat detection, and simultaneous tracking of multiple fast-moving targets. The fire control system fuses data in real time to calculate optimal engagement windows, even under conditions of GPS denial or electronic warfare interference.

The Skyranger 35 system is designed to function both autonomously and as part of a wider networked air defense architecture, seamlessly exchanging data with other sensors and command elements through secure datalinks. Its open architecture allows integration with various battle management systems and command and control nodes, enabling coordinated engagements and layered defense in a joint or combined arms environment.

Rheinmetall’s choice to mount the Skyranger 35 on the Lynx KF41 tracked chassis further reflects a fundamental doctrinal shift. Unlike lighter wheeled platforms, the tracked Lynx variant offers enhanced survivability, cross-country mobility, and sustained performance in high-threat, near-peer combat zones. The KF41 chassis features scalable armor protection against IEDs, mines, and kinetic threats, as well as active protection options and modular mission kits. Its design enables the air defense variant to operate alongside main battle tanks and mechanized infantry in highly dynamic environments, maintaining pace without sacrificing protection or firepower.

The anti-drone capabilities of the Lynx Skyranger 35 are not limited to its 35mm gun. Rheinmetall is actively developing a multi-effector configuration that will incorporate short-range missiles and potentially soft-kill technologies, including directed energy systems and jammers, to neutralize drone threats at various stages of their flight path. This layered engagement capability is aimed at increasing resilience against drone swarms and multi-vector attacks, which are increasingly common in contemporary combat.

Operationally, the Skyranger 35 provides what defense planners now define as "close-in active air protection" with the ability to engage airborne threats from 500 meters out to 4 kilometers, and from ground level up to 3,000 meters in altitude. Its high reaction speed, automated tracking, and dense firepower envelope make it ideal for defending armored columns, forward operating bases, command posts, and critical logistics nodes.

Rheinmetall’s development is also timely from a strategic standpoint. The war in Ukraine has shattered previous assumptions about air superiority and uncontested maneuver space. Drone attacks on unprotected logistics convoys, artillery positions, and even frontline tanks have illustrated the vulnerability of NATO-style maneuver warfare without integrated SHORAD systems. In response, European militaries have begun rapidly investing in mobile air defense. The Skyranger family is already being adopted by the German, Austrian, and Danish armed forces in 30mm wheeled variants based on platforms such as the Boxer 8x8. The tracked 35mm variant, however, offers a heavier, more survivable option for high-intensity scenarios.

With the Lynx Skyranger 35, Rheinmetall is not only responding to urgent operational requirements but also shaping the future of mobile air defense. The platform reflects a convergence of technological innovation, combat experience, and doctrinal adaptation, combining maneuverability, firepower, protection, and automation into a single SHORAD solution ready for the battlespace of tomorrow.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.