- Ukraine is set to receive hybrid air defense tanks from Germany.
- It consists of a Skyranger turret mounted on a Leopard 2 chassis, developed by arms manufacturer Rheinmetall.
- This comes as Russian and Ukrainian forces struggle with exploding drones.
Ukraine’s war effort may soon be boosted by a new hybrid tank that blends a Cold War-era tank chassis with an advanced air defense system.
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall revealed in a media release on Monday that the new design consists of a Skyranger turret mounted on a Leopard 2 chassis.
Bjorn Bernhard, head of Rheinmetall’s land systems division, suggested to German media outlet Bild that more similar hybrid tanks could be in the works.
“There are still plenty of Leopard 1 tanks available that could be fitted with the Skyranger turret with its 35mm machine gun,” Bernhard told Bild.
According to Rheinmetall, the new system “offers the optimal combination of mobility, protection, flexibility and precision to meet the growing requirements of challenging threat scenarios at close and closer ranges.”
A blend of new military equipment and old technology is being deployed on the Ukrainian battlefield: Ukraine is fielding “Franken-SAMs.” A hybrid air defense system combining US missiles and Soviet launchers.
The new tank design was unveiled as both the Ukrainian and Russian militaries grapple with the overwhelming presence of explosive drones that fly into military vehicles and explode or burst into flames.
Even the most powerful tanks need to be protected by cage armor, and both sides have adopted the technique of welding “corp cages” onto tanks to ward off drone attacks.
Russia has also begun installing metal tent-like structures on the roofs of its tanks to protect them from anti-tank fire. These “turtle” tanks, as seen in a video uploaded by an open-source intelligence agency, are covered in so much metal that they can barely turn their guns. Telegram channel CyberBoroshno.
But makeshift armor isn’t always effective: Video footage posted by the 8th Separate Mountain Assault Battalion on May 6 shows a Russian tank equipped with a “Corp Cage” being attacked and destroyed by a Ukrainian drone.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is also seeing a decline in the number of Leopard 2 tanks it is receiving from Germany.
Sebastian Schäfer, an economist with Germany’s Green Party, has written to arms manufacturers, urging them to improve repair processes and parts supplies for damaged tanks, German media outlet Der Spiegel reported on January 2.
Rheinmetall did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment, made outside normal working hours.
