German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall announced plans to produce up to 400 Skyranger and Skynex anti-drone systems annually, a major expansion aimed at countering the Iranian-designed Shahed drones that have become a persistent threat to Ukraine and increasingly concern European defense planners.

The production ramp-up, reported by Defense Ukraine, represents a significant scaling of manufacturing capacity to address the evolving threat environment created by proliferation of low-cost attack drones. The systems combine radar detection, optical tracking, and automatic cannon engagement to intercept small unmanned aerial vehicles that have proven difficult for traditional air defenses to counter cost-effectively.

Ukraine faces nightly waves of Shahed-136 drones—one-way attack UAVs that Russia launches in swarms to overwhelm air defenses, strike infrastructure, and exhaust Ukrainian interceptor missile stockpiles. While Ukrainian forces have achieved high shoot-down rates exceeding 80 percent on most nights, the campaign has exposed the unsustainable economics of using expensive missiles to intercept cheap drones.

The Skyranger system, a mobile platform typically mounted on tracked or wheeled chassis, employs a 35mm automatic cannon that can engage drones at ranges up to several kilometers. The Skynex variant offers similar capabilities in a fixed or semi-mobile configuration. Both systems use programmable ammunition that can be optimized for different target types, from small quadcopters to fixed-wing attack drones.

Production timeline remains unclear, though defense industry sources suggest initial deliveries to Ukraine could begin within months if systems are prioritized through existing contracts. The annual production capacity of 400 units would represent a substantial increase over current output, reflecting both Ukrainian demand and growing interest in counter-drone capabilities.