Germany's Chancellor pledges £926m military aid for Ukraine, including howitzers and air defence systems

Olaf Scholz unveiled a fresh tranche of military aid for Ukraine worth £926 million. He detailed plans for next year when Germany intends to contribute about £1.4 billion to this initiative and, in subsequent years, £5 billion, as reported by the Military service. The latest aid package is set to include:

• 36 self-propelled tracked and wheeled howitzers (combining 18 PzH 2000 howitzers and 18 RCH 155 howitzers),
• 120,000 six-calibre artillery rounds,
• 2 Skynex air defence systems,
• 100 missiles for IRIS-T SLS systems.

This support package includes equipment and ammunition necessary for defence against Russian air assaults. Germany will provide Ukraine with two Skynex mobile short-range air defence artillery systems. Its pivotal component is the Oerlikon Skymaster battle management system that doubles as a control node. The manufacturers state that various sensors and effectors, including air defence guns and missiles, can be flexibly combined to match mission requirements.

At its core setup, the Skynex system comprises a command and control unit, X-TAR3D radar, Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk3 35 mm gun, and a stockpile of ammunition settled in a remotely operated module weighing roughly 5091 Kg. This structure can be mounted on the frame of an armoured vehicle. The Skynex system can engage targets at a distance of up to 2.5 miles; a practical application could be the elimination of AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles or clusters of compact drones.

Ukrainians will also receive 100 missiles for IRIS-T SLS systems as a support component. These are short-range air defence systems comprising a launcher, a Giraffe radar responsible for target detection, and a command module stationed on a BAE Hägglunds Bv410 vehicle. The system utilises IRIS-T missiles and can strike targets at a maximum distance of roughly 7.5 miles. This suggests that Ukrainians can deploy it to dismantle Russian attack helicopters.