Ukraine's Skynex Air Defense System Fails to Intercept Russian Drone, German Magazine Reports

Ukraine's Skynex air defense system has previously malfunctioned and failed to intercept targets, despite being advertised as an effective anti-UAV weapon, according to a German magazine.

The German magazine Stern reported on July 2nd, citing an internal assessment by the Ukrainian military, that the Skynex air defense system, developed and manufactured by the Rheinmetall group, had performed significantly below expectations on one occasion.

The incident occurred on April 1st, when a Skynex system in Ukrainian service experienced numerous technical malfunctions, rendering it unable to intercept an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during a Russian air raid targeting an industrial facility in western Ukraine.

The facility was protected by two Skynex batteries, comprising a total of 8 combat vehicles equipped with 35 mm cannons, two X-TAR3D surveillance radars, and two command vehicles. This arrangement was intended to create overlapping fire zones, ensuring that any target penetrating the defense area would be engaged by at least two artillery pieces simultaneously.

During the April 1st air raid, the radars reportedly detected two Russian UAVs at a distance of approximately 20 km. One aircraft entered the fire zone and should have been engaged by at least two artillery pieces. However, only one artillery shell was fired and it missed the target.

The Russian UAV subsequently struck infrastructure belonging to an unnamed company and detonated, with the Skynex system proving powerless, according to Stern.

The German magazine stated that in its internal assessment, the Ukrainian military attributed the failure of the interception attempt to technical malfunctions and problems with target tracking. Three artillery pieces ceased functioning within minutes due to issues with their hydraulic systems, radars, and loading equipment. Only two out of the eight combat vehicles were capable of reliably tracking targets.

According to Stern, the Ukrainian military's report concluded that the Skynex system had a "low operational readiness, extremely poor reliability" and did not meet the technical specifications announced by the manufacturer. "This is a disaster that should never have happened," a witness to the incident told Stern.

Rheinmetall declined to comment on specific combat data, citing security reasons. However, the company stated that Ukraine assesses the Skynex system as having "demonstrated outstanding effectiveness."

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not yet issued a comment. The agency had previously released a video of a Skynex system shooting down 6 Russian Geran-2 UAVs, but it is unclear whether this was in one or multiple engagements.

A German official, speaking on condition of anonymity, argued that too few Skynex systems have been deployed to draw conclusions about their overall combat effectiveness. This person also raised the possibility that operator error contributed to the failure of the interception attempt.

The Ukrainian military portal Defense Express suggested that a single incident is insufficient to draw conclusions about Skynex's overall performance. "It is possible that maintenance issues, a shortage of spare parts, or other operational factors contributed to this outcome," the outlet stated.

Skynex is a point defense system designed to intercept UAVs, rockets, and mortar shells.

Each complete system includes the Skymaster combat management complex, X-TAR3D surveillance radar, friend-or-foe identification equipment, an MSU complex equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and panoramic electro-optical sensors, as well as a series of combat vehicles equipped with 35 mm Millennium single-barrel or GDF009 TREO twin-barrel cannons.

The combat vehicles are each equipped with their own radar and electro-optical sensors, allowing them to independently track and engage targets within their fire zones.

In 2023, Rheinmetall announced that the German government had ordered two Skynex systems for a total value of $212 million to protect the capital, Berlin. Both systems were subsequently transferred by Germany to Ukraine in January 2024 and April 2025, respectively.