KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s Armed Forces have released footage showing what appears to be one of the first Rheinmetall Skyranger 35 short-range air defense systems mounted on a Leopard 1 tank chassis to reach Ukrainian units.
The footage was highlighted by GAU, an open-source account that tracks German military assistance to Ukraine. GAU identified the unit operating the system as Ukraine’s 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment. Recent Ukrainian reporting has also identified the regiment as operating the Skyranger 35 and released footage showing the system engaging an aerial target.
It seems that Ukraine's 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment which belongs to the Ground Forces has taken delivery of the first Skyranger 35 SPAAGs mounted on a Leopard 1 chassis made by @RheinmetallAG.
— GAU (@deaidua) September 3, 2026
A contract for the delivery of the Skyranger 35 SPAAGs was signed in H2 of… pic.twitter.com/VRWhGx1LCa
Contract Financed by Frozen Russian Assets
Rheinmetall announced the Leopard 1-based Skyranger 35 contract in October 2025. The company said the order was worth a three-digit million-euro amount and was financed by an unnamed European Union country using proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
Production and final integration of the systems were assigned to Rheinmetall Italia at its headquarters in Rome.
Ukraine had already received Skyranger 35 systems on wheeled truck platforms. The Leopard 1 version is a separate tracked configuration, combining the Skyranger turret with the Leopard 1 chassis.
35mm Cannon for Short-Range Air Defense
The Skyranger 35 is equipped with the KDG 35/1000 revolver cannon, which uses 35×228mm ammunition. Rheinmetall states that the cannon has a firing rate of up to 1,000 rounds per minute and an effective range of up to 4,000 metres.
The system uses AHEAD airburst technology. The ammunition is programmed to burst near the target and release tungsten sub-projectiles, allowing the weapon to engage aerial targets without requiring a direct impact from a single projectile.
This configuration is intended for short-range air defense, including the engagement of small aerial threats. The Skyranger 35 turret has a high degree of commonality with the Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk 3. Rheinmetall has also stated that guided missiles could be integrated onto the system in the future.
Leopard 1 Chassis
The Leopard 1-based Skyranger 35 was publicly demonstrated by Rheinmetall in September 2024 at the Erprobungszentrum Ochsenboden test site in Switzerland. The demonstrator used a Leopard 1A5BE chassis and an unmanned Skyranger turret.
The tracked configuration gives the air-defense system the mobility and protection of an armored vehicle rather than a truck-based platform. Rheinmetall specifically describes the combination as providing the mobility and protection of a tracked vehicle together with the Skyranger 35’s cannon-based air-defense capability.
The Leopard 1 chassis also uses a platform already operated by Ukraine. Ukraine has received Leopard 1 tanks from Western partners since 2023. Open-source tracking by Oryx documents numerous Ukrainian Leopard 1 losses, although such visual-loss databases do not represent the complete number of vehicles delivered or lost.
Ukraine Receives System Ahead of Wider European Fielding
The Ukrainian appearance comes as several European countries are expanding their interest in the Skyranger family. Germany has ordered Skyranger systems, while Romania ordered 24 Skyranger 35 systems in 2026 as part of a larger defense package. Rheinmetall has also been increasing production capacity for the Skyranger family.
The appearance of the Leopard 1-based system in Ukrainian service confirms that the configuration announced by Rheinmetall in 2025 has moved from production into operational use in Ukraine.
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