VIENNA, AUSTRIA — German defense company Rheinmetall is working with the Austrian Armed Forces and Austrian companies Empl and Palfinger to develop an automated ammunition reloading vehicle for the Skyranger air-defense system.
The project, provisionally called “Reloader,” is being developed initially for the Skyranger 30, with Rheinmetall planning to adapt the technology for the Skyranger 35 in the future. The project remains in development and has not yet received a series-production order.
Robotic reloading system
The Reloader will use a robotic manipulator arm to remove an empty ammunition magazine from the Skyranger, install a fully loaded magazine and stow the empty one. The process is designed to take only a few minutes.
Each magazine weighs approximately 400 kg and holds around 250 to 252 rounds. The system is designed so that crews can remain inside their protected vehicles during ammunition replenishment instead of manually handling the heavy magazines outside the vehicle.
The Reloader vehicle itself will carry six spare magazines. Rheinmetall is also examining a trailer that could carry another 12 magazines. Together, the vehicle and trailer could transport up to 18 magazines, equivalent to approximately 4,500 rounds.
Designed for Austria's Skyranger 30
The system is being developed for Austria's Pandur EVO armored vehicle-based Skyranger 30 configuration. Austria has ordered 36 Skyranger 30 systems mounted on Pandur EVO 6x6 vehicles.
The Skyranger 30 is equipped with a Swiss-made 30 mm Oerlikon KCE revolver cannon with a firing rate of 1,200 rounds per minute. Its standard ammunition load is 252 rounds, including proximity-fuzed airburst ammunition designed for use against small aerial targets such as drones and loitering munitions.
The system can also be equipped with short-range surface-to-air missiles, including FIM-92 Stinger or Mistral.
For aerial target detection, the Skyranger 30 uses the AMMR multi-mission S-band radar, with five antennas providing 360-degree coverage.
Growing Skyranger adoption
The Skyranger system has also been selected by several other European countries, including Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Romania and the Netherlands. These countries are integrating the system onto different vehicle platforms according to their requirements.
The Reloader project is intended to improve the ammunition logistics of mobile Skyranger units by allowing heavy magazines to be replaced rapidly while keeping personnel inside protected vehicles.
——— End of Article ———
