Protecting critical infrastructure Rheinmetall Strengthens Air Defence in Europe

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Rheinmetall has secured an order for 20 Skyranger 30 systems from Belgium, further strengthening its strategic partnership with the country and contributing to the protection of critical infrastructure.

The Rheinmetall Group is further expanding its strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Belgium. Less than 18 months after the initial talks in June 2025, the company has now secured an order for the delivery of 20 Skyranger 30 systems. Installed on hooklift platforms, the systems are intended to provide stationary protection for Belgian territory and critical infrastructure. The value of the procurement package, which includes not only the systems but also the associated logistics, is in the mid-hundreds of millions of euros.

Delivery of the systems is scheduled to begin at the end of 2028. In addition, the company has signalled its willingness to expand cooperation with Belgian industry into further innovative fields, including stationary and deployable counter-drone solutions.

With this order, Rheinmetall is building on a long-standing tradition of cooperation: exactly 50 years ago, the company (then operating under the name Oerlikon Contraves and in industrial cooperation) delivered a total of 36 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to the Belgian Armed Forces. The Skyranger contract now concluded marks the beginning of a new technological chapter in the joint partnership.Pragmatism and close bilateral cooperation

Pragmatism and close bilateral cooperation

The swift conclusion of the contract within less than one and a half years is largely based on the Belgian authorities' clear political commitment to protecting their own population. The procurement programme was implemented in close coordination with both Rheinmetall and its close partner country, the Netherlands, ensuring a harmonious and coherent implementation of the overall system by all parties involved.

"With the signing of the Skyranger contract, we are opening a new chapter in our 50-year partnership together with the Belgian Armed Forces. The rapid technological evolution of airborne threats requires state-of-the-art, fully integrated protection systems. The Skyranger 30 will make a decisive contribution to reliably ensuring the security of Belgian territory and critical infrastructure," says Roman Köhne, CEO of Rheinmetall Air Defence.

Significant involvement of Belgian industry

A key pillar of the programme is the planned involvement of Belgium's industrial ecosystem. Belgian technology companies are to be closely integrated into the value chain. Rheinmetall is thus specifically promoting the further development of Belgian security companies into international players.

Protection against modern airborne threats

In view of the rapid technological evolution of airborne threats in the modern battlespace, particularly those posed by unmanned aerial systems (drones), the Skyranger 30 offers highly effective countermeasures. The system will be fully integrated into the overarching command-and-control (C2) and weapons engagement architecture of Belgium's "Blue Dome" programme.