The Oerlikon Skyguard is an air defense system now manufactured by the German Company Rheinmetall Defense. The first development is a joint collaboration between of Oerlikon Contraves of Switzerland and Raytheon Company of the United States. It combines two proven systems, the Skyguard fire-control system, used to control Oerlikon Contraves twin 35 mm GDF series towed anti-aircraft guns and the Raytheon AIM-7E/AIM-7F/AIM-7M Sparrow missile which, in its normal application, is air-launched. The networkable Skyguard and Skyguard III fire units implement the concept of layered air defence using two 35 mm air defence guns for close range and two missile launchers, which serve as an extended arms. The air defense system comprises a fire control/search radar unit, up to three 4-cell missile launchers and two twin-barrel 35mm guns. Skyguard battery fires Sparrow/Aspide missiles. Skyguard air defence technology, employed by over 40 countries around the world, has clearly lived up to this customer nation’s expectations. With its tried-and-tested 35mm Skyshield technology, Rheinmetall has set an internationally unsurpassed standard for excellence, particularly when it comes to defending public venues and critical civilian infrastructure such as power plants, dams, and oil platforms from terrorist threats. Radar systems and guns can be deployed and redeployed on mobile platforms at short notice in line with evolving mission requirements. In the future, moreover, in addition to 35mm automatic cannons, it will be possible to equip these systems with other effectors, e.g. antiaircraft missiles and high-energy lasers.
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| Armament |
The Oerlikon Skyguard 1 uses two Oerlikon Twin Gun GDF007 35mm anti-aircraft cannons which can be coupled to two surface-to-air missile launchers (Sparrow, Aspide, SAHV-IR or Adats). The 35mm anti-aircraft twin-gun is a weapon that is used for short-range air defense against fighters, bombers, and helicopters. It can also be used against unmanned aerial targets as drones, cruise missiles, dispensers, guided missiles, and guided bombs. The 35mm Oerlikon twin-gun is controlled by a Fire Control Unit (FCU), but it can also be operated by a gunner in autonomous mode.
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| Missiles and Ammunitions |
The Skyguard air defense system can also use the Raytheon AIM-7E/AIM-7F/AIM-7M Sparrow missile. The four-round launcher is mounted on the carriage of the Oerlikon Contraves twin 35-mm GDF towed anti-aircraft gun system and the missiles are fired through the covers. Two rounds are mounted on each side of the operator's position with the illuminator antenna mounted forward and below his position.
Another missile used with the Skyguard air defense system is the Aspide. This is similar to the Skyguard/Sparrow but uses the four-round Alenia Marconi Systems Aspide launcher used in the Spada air defense system in service with Italy and Thailand. Cyprus has also bought the Skyguard/Aspide system with 12 systems in service.
A shelter-based version of ADATS missile is also used with the Skyguard fire control system. which is in service with the Thai army. The ADATS missile can engage all types of low-level threats, including attack helicopters exposed at stand-off ranges at extremely low altitudes. The system has a 10km range against air or ground targets.
In South Africa, the Skyguard was proposed with an eight-round SAHV-IR containerized missile launcher. The missile is able to engage both high-speed aircraft targets at altitudes from below 31 m to well over 7,000 m. It is also capable of countering attacks from anti-tank helicopters equipped with short-range anti-tank guided weapons. The SAHV-IR missile flies under the inertial control of its digital autopilot while its passive IR seeker scans a volume of airspace around the calculated target position.
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| Fire Control Unit |
The Skyguard 1 system is contained within a towed trailer, mounted on the roof of which is a pulse doppler search radar, a pulse doppler tracking radar, and a co-axial television camera. The trailer also houses the crew of two and a small petrol generator. The Fire Control Unit (FCU) Skyguard I control weapons for short-range air defense against manned aerial targets such as fighter aircraft, fighter bombers, and helicopters and against unmanned aerial targets, in particular drones, cruise missiles, guided missiles, and guided bombs. The Skyguard Fire Control unit is used for airspace surveillance with a high detection probability of targets flying at low altitudes. It is able to detect, identify and acquire aerial targets. The fire control unit can control of up to four weapons (guns, missile launchers).
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| Combat use |
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Skyguard is an all-weather air defense system for the control of aircraft at low altitudes and at a low and medium altitudes range of up to 3,000 m. The maximum effective distance is given as 4,000 m. The system takes the air surveillance, target acquisition, calculation of the derivative-action values, and the control of two Oerlikon 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.
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| Specifications |
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Armament
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Country users
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Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Germany Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland, South Africa, Taiwan,
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Designer Country
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Germany
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Crew
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4
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Missiles
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Sparrow, Aspide, SAHV-IR or Adats
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| Radar |
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Range
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cannon 4,000 m
missile 7,000 m
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Range Radar
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20 km
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