Rheinmetall successfully demonstrated its countermeasures against small unmanned aerial systems (c-sUAS) at the Ground-based Air Defence (GBAD) Demo Days held at the firing range in Lohtaja, Finland. Representatives of Rheinmetall Air Defence AG were invited to participate by the Inspector of Air Defence of the Finnish Armed Forces.
Challenging Conditions, Professional Performance
Despite challenging climatic conditions in a remote forest area, Rheinmetall delivered a powerful and professional demonstration. The threats demonstrated—ranging from jet-powered drones to small quadcopters—along with seamless cooperation with the organizer XD Solution and the Finnish Armed Forces, underscored the operational readiness of the technologies on display. The main focus was on detection, classification, and tracking of a wide variety of drones across different airspaces and flight speeds.
Skyspotter at the Core
At the heart of the presentation was Skyspotter, Rheinmetall’s multi-sensory early warning and reconnaissance system for detecting, classifying, and tracking airborne threats. Skyspotter is designed to protect critical infrastructure and secure large areas against drone attacks. The system features an open architecture that allows integration of different sensors and effectors depending on the threat level. In close cooperation with Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH, a rapidly deployable version of the Skyspotter system based on the Rheinmetall HX Truck was presented on site, underscoring the flexibility of the system architecture.
Integrated System Demonstration
During the demonstration, Rheinmetall presented an integrated overall system consisting of Skyspotter, several dislocated Passive Emitter Locator sensors, and a rapidly deployable, specialized C2 shelter. This configuration ensures optimum command and control capability at a safe distance from active components and increases protection for operating personnel.
Effector Integration
Skyspotter has the ability to integrate various effectors. Depending on the threat situation, the operator can choose whether to use a jammer, an interceptor drone, or—in extreme cases—the highly flexible 30mm revolver gun, currently in the conceptual phase. The gun uses individually programmable KETF ammunition (kinetic energy time fuze), which acts solely with kinetic energy (impact ammunition).
Executive Perspective
“The GBAD Demo Days 2025 have impressively highlighted the importance of partnership-based cooperation in the further development of modern air defence capabilities. We would like to thank the Finnish Armed Forces for the invitation and the excellent cooperation, as well as our industry partners and our Finnish partner Oy Telva. Their commitment and expertise have contributed significantly to successfully demonstrating the performance of our systems under realistic conditions,” explained Oliver Dürr, Head of the Electronic Solutions Division.
