For the company, this is the first-ever significant order from Romania

The Romanian Ministry of Defence has contracted Rheinmetall with a €328 million deal to modernise the country’s Oerlikon GDF 103 air defence artillery systems thoroughly. This is the first major order from Romania, a NATO and EU member state for the company. The contract includes delivering four systems, training, spare parts and other services. Two systems should be provided during the next two years, while the two additional within three years.

Each of the four systems ordered consists of an Oerlikon Skymaster TLCN fire control system, an X-Band Tactical Acquisition Radar 3D, or X-TAR3D; six 35mm GDF009 TREO Oerlikon Twin Guns, including autoloader; and two heavy-duty special trucks for transporting the fire control system and the tracking radar.

“This substantial first-time order from the Romanian government widens our footprint in Central Europe. It also underscores Rheinmetall’s role as a leading supplier of ground-based air defence systems. Moreover, the order will bolster the defensive capabilities of the EU and NATO on Europe’s eastern flank, something we’re very happy about”, stated Armin Papperger, Chairman of the Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG. In Satu Mare, Romania, close to the country’s borders with Ukraine and Hungary, Rheinmetall has been operating a service hub for several months now, where it maintains and services military vehicles.

An upgraded Oerlikon anti-aircraft artillery system, the Rheinmetall’s version Skynex is a modular, flexible ground-based air defence system for protecting stationary objects and installations in close and short range. The system is innovative and capable of simultaneously engaging up to four targets at very short range, including ground targets.

Cannon-based air defence solutions from the Skynex product family lend themselves especially well to close-range operations where guided missiles are ineffective. The effectors used here are an Oerlikon rapid-fire automatic cannon featuring a rate of fire of 1,100 rounds per minute and a maximum effective range of up to 4,000 metres.

The recent success of the ageing 35mm Gepard anti-aircraft tank in Ukraine underscores the remarkable efficiency of cannon-based air defence in countering aerial threats – especially cruise missiles and drones – and the continuing importance of short-range air defence in modern warfare.