Belgium orders 20 Rheinmetall Skyranger 30 systems for territorial air defence
Rheinmetall has secured a contract to deliver 20 Skyranger 30 air defence systems to Belgium. According to the company’s November 9, 2026 announcement, the systems will be mounted on hooklift platforms and used for the stationary protection of Belgian territory and critical infrastructure.
Key terms
- Scope: 20 Skyranger 30 (30 mm) systems plus associated logistics
- Value: mid three-digit million-euro range
- Deliveries: scheduled to begin at the end of 2028
- Timeline: contract signed less than 18 months after initial talks in June 2025
Rheinmetall credits the pace of the procurement to clear political commitment in Brussels. The programme was also run in close consultation with the Netherlands, Belgium’s closest defence partner.
Plugged into “Blue Dome”
The Skyranger 30s will be fully integrated into the command-and-control architecture of Belgium’s overarching “Blue Dome” air defence programme, with a particular focus on countering drones. Belgian technology firms are expected to be brought into the value chain, and Rheinmetall says it is willing to extend cooperation into stationary and deployable counter-drone solutions.
A 50-year relationship
The deal comes exactly 50 years after the company, then trading as Oerlikon Contraves and working with Krauss-Maffei, supplied 36 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to the Belgian armed forces. “The Skyranger 30 will make a decisive contribution to reliably safeguard Belgian territory and critical infrastructure,” said Roman Köhne, CEO of Rheinmetall Air Defence.
Related: Gepard vs Korkut compared.
