Ukraine’s Skynex Shoots Down 12 Air Targets in a Single Engagement

The Ukrainian Skynex air defense gun system shot down 12 air targets in a single engagement.

The Air Command West of the Ukrainian Air Force reported on this and highlighted it through the German Aid to Ukraine project.

According to Andriy, commander of an anti-aircraft artillery battery in the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, his unit has so far destroyed two cruise missiles and about 35 Shahed attack drones launched by Russian forces.

“In a single air defense engagement, we managed to destroy 12 enemy aerial targets: one cruise missile and 11 Shahed drones. However, what I remember most was engaging the cruise missiles,” Andrii says.

During Russia’s full-scale invasion, Andriy participated in the defense of Chernihiv, fought on the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia fronts, and also served in Russia’s Kursk region. Despite suffering wounds and concussions, he continued his military service in an air defense unit, where he mastered the modern Skynex air defense system.

“I learned on-site from servicemen who had undergone training abroad. Later, we deployed with one of the batteries to a combat position. In reality, I learned the system while already in combat,” the officer recalls.

For his courage and dedication to Ukraine, Andriy has been awarded the Order for Courage, 3rd Class, the Medal for the Defense of Chernihiv, the Air Force Cross, and the Medal for Military Service to Ukraine.

Skynex in Ukraine

In November 2025, Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, announced that Ukraine had received all of the Skynex air defense systems promised by Germany as part of its military assistance program.

According to him, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are operating four Skynex anti-aircraft artillery systems, whose delivery was announced after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since the gun units of the Skynex system are not self-propelled, their primary role is point air defense – mainly protecting important fixed military facilities and critical infrastructure.

A Skynex battery consists of four 35 mm gun units, a command post, and a radar station that performs the initial detection of aerial targets and guides the guns onto them.

The core of the system is the 35 mm Oerlikon Mk3 automatic cannon, which has an effective firing range of 4,000 meters and a rate of fire of 1,000 rounds per minute. It fires AHEAD programmable airburst ammunition.

The guns also include their own radar system linked to an electro-optical tracking system. Together, they allow the system to detect and accurately track targets, including very small ones.

In 2022, Rheinmetall announced plans to build two Skynex batteries for an unnamed European customer and requested funding from the German government. It was later confirmed that these systems were meant for Ukraine.

Ukraine officially received the first two systems in early 2024. The total cost of the two delivered systems amounted to €182 million. Two additional systems were planned for delivery later.

The Ukrainian Air Force is using German Skynex anti-aircraft artillery systems to shoot down Russian Shahed-type strike drones.