An internal report originating from Ukrainian military circles has cast doubt on the air defense capabilities of the German defense contractor Rheinmetall’s Skynex system. According to the document, which has been reported by Stern, the system encountered technical issues during a Russian drone attack.
The Ukrainian report alleges that on April 1st, Skynex largely failed while attempting to protect an industrial facility in western Ukraine. Despite having multiple opportunities for detection, a Russian Shahed drone was not intercepted, and two independent parties confirmed the drone’s impact. The deployment involved two Skynex systems, which included eight 35-millimeter cannons, two radars, and two command posts.
The document attribute the failures to a combination of technical defects and problems with target tracking. Within minutes, three of the eight gun systems malfunctioned, citing various issues such as hydraulic failures, tracking radar downtime, and loading jams. Ultimately, only two of the eight cannons were able to maintain stable pursuit of the target.
The report’s conclusion is stark: the system demonstrated “low technical readiness,” operated in an “extremely unreliable” manner, and failed to meet the technical specifications provided by the manufacturer.
Rheinmetall declined to comment on the specific deployment details and dates, citing security concerns. Meanwhile, a corporate spokesperson insisted that Skynex has proven “exceptionally effective and reliable” in Ukraine, adding that this was confirmed by the Ukrainian side.
A German military representative cautioned that it is too early to make a final judgment on the quality of these weapons systems, given that only a limited number of Skynex cannons are currently in service, and potential operator error could also have contributed to the outages.
