One Skynex Battle, 12 Russian Targets Down—Ukraine Shows What German Air Defense Can Do

A Ukrainian Skynex air defense artillery system destroyed 12 Russian aerial targets in a single battle, including one cruise missile and 11 Shahed-type drones, according to Ukraine’s Western Air Command, in a report highlighted by the German Aid to Ukraine project on June 9.

Andrii, commander of an anti-aircraft artillery battery in the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen anti-aircraft missile regiment, said his unit has already destroyed two cruise missiles and around 35 Russian Shahed-type UAVs.

“In one air defense battle, we managed to destroy 12 enemy aerial targets: one cruise missile and 11 Shahed-type UAVs. But the work against cruise missiles is what I remember most,” Andrii said.

Before serving in air defense, Andrii fought in several major sectors of the war. During Russia’s full-scale invasion, he took part in the defense of Chernihiv, fought in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia directions, and also served in Russia’s Kursk region. After being wounded and suffering concussions, he continued his military service in an air defense unit, where he learned to operate the modern Skynex system.

“I trained on site with soldiers who had undergone training abroad. Later, we deployed with one of the batteries to a combat position. In fact, I was already learning in battle,” the officer said.

Ukraine received all promised Skynex air defense systems from Germany by November 2025, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said at the time.

According to Papperger, Ukraine’s Defense Forces operate four Skynex anti-aircraft artillery systems delivered as part of Germany’s military assistance after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Because Skynex gun units are not self-propelled, their main role is point air defense. They are used primarily to protect important fixed military sites and critical infrastructure from drones, cruise missiles, and other aerial threats.

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A Skynex battery consists of four 35mm gun units, a command post, and a radar station that provides initial target detection and helps guide the guns.

At the center of the system is the 35mm 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 uses AHEAD programmable airburst ammunition, designed to create a cloud of lethal fragments in the path of incoming aerial targets.

Each gun unit also has its own radar combined with an electro-optical station, allowing it to lock onto and accurately engage even small aerial targets.

Earlier, reports emerged that Germany’s defense industry was preparing for a sharp increase in demand for anti-drone systems, driven in large part by lessons learned from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aerial attacks.

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