The future of SHORAD systemsThe American defense giant Rheinmetall recently unveiled its new "smart" short-range air defense (SHORAD) system called the "Skyranger 30." Displayed at this year's Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) annual conference, the system is, as the company states, the future of SHORAD systems.
The system features an automated turret that can fire 1,250 30mm airburst rounds per minute. It can also be elevated to a maximum of 85 degrees and depressed to a maximum of -10 degrees. It can also be rotated 360 degrees around its mount. But, more interestingly, the "Skyranger 30" integrates the turret (first unveiled in 2021) onto an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). The vehicle's chassis is a RIPSAW M5 robotic UGV developed by Textron Defense Systems (a Rheinmetall partner company). This combination makes the Skyranger 30-RIPSAW M5 combination an entirely autonomous setup.
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