Ripsaw M5 (drone destruction robot)

2023: Product Announcement

In early October 2023, Rheinmetall unveiled the Ripsaw M5 robotic combat platform with the Skyranger 30 tower air defense system. The complex is capable of hitting fixed and rotorcraft, drones, barraging ammunition and cruise missiles.

The main armament of the Skyranger 30 turret is the 30 millimetre Oerlikon KCE automatic gun - a modified version of the Oerlikon KCA gun used on the Saab 37 Viggen fighter. The rate of fire reaches 1200 rounds per minute. The Oerlikon KCE gun uses programmable detonation projectiles: the response time is set at the moment of exit from the muzzle. At the time of detonation, such ammunition forms a cone-shaped cloud of tungsten striking elements that destroy drones with high efficiency.

Ripsaw M5 combat platform

The tower can also fire short-range surface-to-air missiles. Additional equipment includes two ROSY (Rapid Obscuring System) launchers, each with nine multispectral smoke grenades, and a coaxial machine gun mounted to the left of the main gun and designed for self-defense.

The Skyranger 30 tower is equipped with a large number of built-in sensors. This is, in particular, an S-band radar station with five antennas that provide a circular view. In addition, there is a Fast Infrared Search and Track (FIRST) infrared guidance system for finding stealth targets and working in electronic warfare conditions. A compact tracking device, including television cameras and two laser rangefinders, is responsible for identifying and tracking targets. The hybrid power plant of the Ripsaw M5 platform allows you to reach speeds of up to 40 km/h. The chassis has a mass of 10.5 tons, and the carrying capacity is 4 tons.^[1]

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