Why some anti-drone artillery comes in a sky-high price

Gepard Flakpanzer, Self-propelled Drone Drone Drone Protection Near Kiev,

Getti images

Last night Russia has attacked Ukraine With over 400 drones’s boilers of 400, many of which flew although the Polish airspaceone hitting the house In the village of Viriki, while Polish forces knocked others down.

Such incidents are likely to continue, and each future war will probably include even higher waves of attack attacks. As Exhibition and Defense Fair DSEI Yesterday was opened in London, the Defense for Europe was sharply saved for Europe, with many anti-drone guns.

Armin Papperger, General Manager of the German Weapon Manufacturer Rheinmetall CEO says it is Expecting German government order It is worth a few billion euros for hundreds of Skiranger Air Defense Weapons. This huge account is one of the reasons why governments are slowly acquired by the urgent drone protection.

Meanwhile, Ukraine uses a weapon that costs a hundred times less to crush Shaheds, suggests that something is wrong with European defense procurement. Dr Jack Vutling Defense of Great Britain Thinkttank Russians told me that European defensive hardware is “pretty universally overrated” – but the causes are complex and harder to fight than you might think.

How is the gepard out of retirement on the salvation

Existing rocket air defense struggles to deal with the threat of small drones. Completely high performance rockets like patriots can easily deal with quick jets, helicopters and cruising missiles, but were only purchased in small numbers. American only make 650 PAC-3 Patriots in the year, And Russia can launch more shahed from the one evening. Hence, the interest in the old-school anti-aircraft weapon with lots of ammunition was restored.

Cruise at 120 mph and below 10,000 feet, shaheds are easily descended individually. Stopping hundreds in one night is a challenge. GePard Self-propelled antiinthni planes Aromatic cannons, made in Germany in the 1970s, were especially successful in a drone assignment. The gepard like a tank has a dome with a couple of 35 mm automatic cannon that fires almost 20 rounds for a second, which led Gearad’s own radar.

Ukraine has acquired about 120 geparts from Germany and from the USA through Jordan, although last retired from Bundeswehr in 2012. years. The Gepard found a new life on the front line against Shaheds: Slow flying flying flying flying dronarians. The cheetahs are now decorated with the rows of kill, with only one rifles, which is only asking to drop 28 shahedes,

According to the Commander CommanderTop three weapons of Ukraine for shaheda suspension are “Gepard, Gepard and Gepard.”

Germany stopped making cheetahs in 1980. years, and the heir was SkiranangerTwin Radar-driven 30 mm Rifle rifle made Rheinmetall, which is a natural choice for the German army. The weapon system costs about $ 12 million and Papperger, speaking in AugustShe predicted an order of about 500 to bring cold $ 6 billion,

Skiranier Turret is just one part after all. You also need a vehicle to put it. In 2024. The Bundeswehr ordered 19 skyrants set on boxing armored vehicles for about 36 million dollars per piece. It is a capable high-tech system, but the defense of a drone must be so expensive?

Skirananger vs Ski Sentinel

Ski Sentinel Automated Twin .50-Caliber Anti-Drone Weapons in Ukraine

Mikita Shandiba

Ukraine reinforce his defense of air against Shahed With the locally made sky Sentinel domes. Ski Sentinel is a standalone trailer that sets a pair of than 50 caliber machines, using cameras and ai software, not a radar to track goals. Every sky Sentinel costs $ 100,000, or about 1% as far as Skiranier.

Smaller caliber means a shorter range, but greatly reduced costs. Rheinmetall sold 35 mm ammunition for Ukrainene cheetahs about $ 600 in a circleand the delivered 300,000 rounds are low. Rheinmetall suggests an even more sophisticated anti-drone circle for Skiranger, which is called forward to be a shot over $ 1,000. In 20 rounds, it is soon soon up.

Reinmetall is a sophisticated new pre-drone ammunition with its way for wolfsten cylindres will probably cost over $ 1,000 per hir.

David Hrnka

Contrary .50 Caliber Ammunition is common and dirt inexpensive; The US military currently pays $ 2.67 per round. It is again inferior to the larger circle of caliber, but more than enough powerful to crash the flutter shaheds. And different price prices of 100, plus ready availability is significant. No one wants to have a crisis of ammunition in the middle of a long war.

The Port of Ports to take a wider range of threats towards higher heights, and that Ski Sentinel works best when it is networked with other systems, while Skiringer works independently. The German system also has more sophisticated targeting and works in a wider range of air conditioners. There is no doubt that by paying additional, the Germans used to buy a better product themselves.

But were they supposed to pay much?

Cost drivers: history, possibility and greed

Watling says two systems are not directly comparable, because Skirananger is designed for the mobile war with the expedition forces, not the Defense Homeland. And Ukraine has other advantages.

“Differences with costs reflect relative labor costs, insurance costs regulatory requirements and the fact that the Ukrainian company does not charge many margins,” says Watling.

It also notes that because it is located within the nested defense system and other sensors, Ski Sentinel does not need all the possibilities of Skiranier.

Tranching suggests that the gap between the two is rounded than the target could suggest a grave factor-of-100. But, he adds, “European defensive equipment is quite universally overrated.”

This week in DSEI Rheinmetall Skirananger

David Hrnka

The reasons for this include regulatory obstacles and the fact that suppliers will not be convinced that orders will continue when political time will change, they want to recover costs quickly, and do not count on the long-term arrangement. And there is a simple motive to want to profit as much as possible.

“It is partly a company charging a big margin because I can,” Watling says.

For Germany, this is probably a problem. The government wants to increase its defensive industrial base and consumption in Germany creates and maintains a job. Shopping from Rheinmetall looks politically to a great extent. Nobody in Germany complains that more salary for Deluxe system: allows a quick and proven solution, and no one doubts that Skirananger is very capable. The success of the cheetah was the best possible ad.

But unlike Ukraine, Germany is not under the night attack and tries to collect as many weapons as possible to defend the country. If Germany is found in the shooting of war, its priorities can change very quickly. As in Ukraine, people and politicians could start worshiping for as many accessible counter-drone systems as a ski Sentinel, not a few top systems. It can be too late during that time.

Meanwhile in the US, plans for “Golden turret“Program for protecting the nation with long range and ballistic and cruises. Early signs will be the composition of sophisticated, high-tech and expensive systems. Whether they will have the power to resist the wave, after the depoting wave.