Rheinmetall’s Skynex Reportedly Hit Technical Snags in Ukraine, Company Rejects Claims

According to reports carried by the defense outlet Militarnyi, which cites German magazine Stern and an internal Ukrainian Armed Forces assessment, a Rheinmetall-built Skynex air defence system reportedly experienced technical difficulties during an engagement in Ukraine. The incident in question is said to have occurred on April 1, 2026, during an attempted intercept of a Russian-made Shahed/Geran-type strike drone targeting an industrial facility in western Ukraine. It should be stressed that this account rests on a single, indirect source chain — an internal report relayed through Stern — and has not been independently corroborated.

What Skynex Is Designed to Do

The Oerlikon Skynex is Rheinmetall’s networked short-range air defence system, combining 35mm Oerlikon revolver guns, radar and optronic sensors, and airburst programmable ammunition into a layered defense against drones, rockets, and precision-guided munitions. Several NATO members have procured the system, and Ukraine reportedly received units through Western support channels. Rheinmetall markets Skynex on the basis of rapid engagement times and its ability to track multiple targets simultaneously.

What the Report Describes

According to the account relayed by Stern, two Skynex units tasked with defending the site had eight gun modules between them, of which three reportedly went out of action within minutes of engagement, reportedly due to hydraulic system faults, tracking radar malfunctions, and an ammunition-feed jam. Only two of the eight guns were said to have maintained stable target tracking, and the drone is reported to have reached and struck its target. The Ukrainian assessment reportedly characterized the system’s readiness as low and its battlefield performance as falling short of the manufacturer’s stated specifications, describing it as having proven “extremely unreliable” in that instance.

Rheinmetall’s Response and What Remains Unconfirmed

Rheinmetall has categorically rejected the allegations. A company spokesperson stated the system has proven “extremely effective and reliable” in Ukraine, adding that this assessment had previously been communicated by the Ukrainian side itself, while declining to disclose further operational details citing security concerns. A source close to the German military suggested too few Skynex units are currently deployed to draw firm conclusions, and floated the possibility that the malfunctions stemmed from operator error rather than the system itself. No independent, on-record statement from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has surfaced confirming the internal report’s findings. The underlying document has not been made public, meaning the claim rests entirely on secondhand reporting that Rheinmetall disputes.

Sources: Militarnyi (citing Stern and an internal Ukrainian military assessment).