Belgium will mount the systems on hooklift platforms and use them from fixed positions to defend its territory and critical infrastructure against drones and other airborne threats. The systems will be integrated into the command and control network for Belgium’s Blue Dome programme.
Belgium signed the contract less than 18 months after talks began in June 2025, Rheinmetall said. Belgian authorities consulted the Netherlands and Rheinmetall during the procurement.
Belgian technology companies are expected to take part in the supply chain. Rheinmetall said it was also open to working with Belgian companies on other projects, including fixed and deployable systems to counter drones.
Fifty years ago, Oerlikon Contraves, now part of Rheinmetall, worked with Krauss-Maffei to supply the Belgian armed forces with 36 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks. “With the signing of the Skyranger contract, we are opening a new chapter in our 50-year partnership together with the Belgian armed forces,” said Roman Köhne, chief executive of Rheinmetall Air Defence.
