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The global defence firm has been selected to bolster the air defence capability of an international customer.
Rheinmetall has been awarded a €65 million (AU$98 million) contract to deliver its Oerlikon Skyguard 3 air defence system with GDF009 twin guns and airburst-capable AHEAD ammunition to an undisclosed international customer.
The system’s reported features include:
- optimisation for inner tier and vital asset protection;
- a Skyguard 3 fire control unit;
- ability to connect up to four effectors — Oerlikon Twin Gun GDF007, VSHORAD missile launchers and Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk2 Towed; and
- ahead technology.
“The order is of great importance to Rheinmetall,” the company noted in a statement.
“Not only does it strengthen existing customer relations, but it also underscores the high degree of confidence in Rheinmetall’s world-leading expertise in the field of ground-based air defence.”
The order is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
This latest contract comes just a week after the group’s subsidiary, American Rheinmetall Munitions, won a US$14.3 million (AU$21 million) contract under a US Navy other transaction agreement (OTA) to prototype a low-cost engagement capability designed to increase the effectiveness of existing and future naval gun weapon systems against air and surface threats.
The resulting prototype system is expected to lead to an Initial Operating Capability for the 30mm x 173 MK 340 MOD 0 Kinetic Energy Electronically Timed (KEET) airburst munition.
The MK 340 KEET is modelled on the NATO-qualified Rheinmetall 30mm x 173 Kinetic Energy Timed Fuse (KETF) cartridge, fielded by the Australian, German, and Hungarian militaries.
The system is tipped to improve lethality and reduce rounds fired due to the increased first-round hit probability.
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