Belgium has awarded Rheinmetall a contract for 20 Skyranger 30 very short-range air-defence systems, to be used for the protection of national territory and critical infrastructure.
The procurement package, which also includes logistics support, is valued in the mid three-digit million-euro range, Rheinmetall said.
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The systems are due to enter delivery from late 2028.
Intended for stationary deployment, the Skyranger 30 systems will be installed on a hooklift platform and integrated with the Belgian military’s Blue Dome command and control architecture.
The system’s turret uses a 30mm x 173 KCE revolver cannon, which can fire up to 1,200 rounds a minute.
According to Rheinmetall, the gun has an effective range of up to 3km and can use programmable air-burst ammunition against small, fast-moving and swarming aerial targets.
Rheinmetall Air Defence chief executive Roman Köhne said: “With the signing of the Skyranger contract, we are opening a new chapter in our 50-year partnership together with the Belgian armed forces.
“The rapid technological evolution of airborne threats requires cutting-edge, fully integrated defence systems. The Skyranger 30 will make a decisive contribution to reliably safeguard Belgian territory and critical infrastructure.”
The contracting process, concluded less than 18 months after initial discussions in June 2025, involved close cooperation between Belgian authorities, Rheinmetall, and the Netherlands.
Earlier this year, at the Nato Summit in Ankara, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken confirmed that Belgium would acquire NASAMS air-defence systems from Kongsberg as well as 20 Skyranger 30 systems. The wider package was valued at more than €3bn.
The new order follows Rheinmetall’s earlier supply of 36 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Belgium 50 years ago, when the business operated as Oerlikon Contraves in partnership with Krauss-Maffei.
Rheinmetall said Belgian technology companies are intended to participate in the programme’s supply chain. The company also indicated it could seek further co-operation with Belgian industry on fixed and deployable counter-drone systems.
According to the data and analytics platform GlobalData, Belgium’s heightened emphasis on air and missile defence is motivated by the imperative to safeguard Nato command assets in the region.
The country, which hosts Nato Headquarters and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), has assumed a heightened profile as a potential adversary to Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In its Belgium Defense Market 2026-2031 report, GlobalData forecasted that the nation’s defence budget will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 12.9% over the period, reaching an estimated $30.5bn by 2031.
The defence acquisition budget is projected at $4bn in 2026 and is expected to rise from $6bn in 2027 to $10.9bn by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate of 16.2%.
