The Skynex 35-mm wheeled self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (ZSU) with an automatic gun caliber of 35 mm has been produced by the German company Rheinmetall since 2021 and is a promising short-range air defense system that has not yet been adopted by the Bundeswehr. The Skynex ZSU is primarily designed to combat unmanned aerial vehicles. Skynex can also hit large aerodynamic targets, such as fighters and helicopters, and shoot down air-to-ground cruise missiles. A special feature of the Skynex ZSU is the programmable 228-mm shells for the Oerlikon Mk3 automatic 35-mm gun, with a delay time criterion for activation set during the shot. This technology allows creating a “cloud of fragments” along the flight path of the drone, increasing the percentage and effectiveness of target destruction at a range of up to 4 km. The projectile is programmed for distance and activation time during firing in the barrel channel, and the delay time is determined based on data from the optical and radar equipment of the radar vehicle, as well as computing systems installed on the fire control vehicle. Projectiles and gun. The Skynex ZSU is equipped with a rifled 35-mm automatic Oerlikon Mk3 cannon with 250 rounds of ammunition. The ammunition of the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun is called AHEAD and is divided into three types: armor-piercing, high-explosive fragmentation and fragmentation. These shells are produced by the Swiss company Oerlikon Contraves, part of the German concern Rheinmetall Defense.
The abbreviation AHEAD stands for Advanced Hit Efficiency and Destruction and belongs to a family of 35-mm programmable air-to-air projectiles for small-caliber artillery systems. The rate of fire of the Oerlikon Mk3 gun mounted on the Skynex ZSU is 1,000 rounds per minute, and the average projectile speed reaches 5,040 km/h (1,400 m/s).
Radar detection and guidance. The target detection range of the X-TAR3D radar is 30-50 kilometers. The Skynex guidance system is equipped with infrared and observation cameras, a laser rangefinder and an X-Band tracking radar, which has the ability to autonomously search for a target.
The functions of target tracking, guidance calculations and destruction of an aerodynamic object are performed by the fire control system (FCS) processor in automatic mode.
Basing. The Oerlikon Mk3 gun is mounted on the chassis of a MAN military truck, which is manufactured by Rheinmetall with a 6x6 wheel arrangement. The Skynex ZSU crew consists of 3 people. Also, the Oerlikon Mk3 gun has the ability to operate in a stationary mode, as a ground-based anti-aircraft gun.
With such shells, radar and a firing range of 4-5-6 km, I think it is guaranteed a rating of 10.7-11.0.
