A new air defense tank “Frankenstein” designed to destroy Russian drones and missiles will be delivered to Ukraine by a leading German arms company, The Telegraph reports.
Rheinmetall has announced that it is installing its state-of-the-art Skyranger anti-aircraft system on the hulls of Cold War-era Leopard 1 tanks, creating a new vehicle to strengthen Ukraine’s defense.
To create Frankenstein, the company installed its state-of-the-art Skyranger anti-aircraft system on the hulls of Leopard 1 tanks
The company has only recently developed the Skyranger system, which has sophisticated sensors with a 360-degree view of the battlefield that can counter swarms of drones.
Mr. Bernhardt made his comments at a top-secret workshop recently opened by Rheinmetall in western Ukraine, where the company is repairing German-made tanks that have been damaged in the front.
“There are still many Leopard 1 main battle tanks on whose chassis we could mount a Skyranger turret with a 35 mm automatic cannon,” Bjorn Bernhard, head of ground systems at Rheinmetall, told German newspaper Bild.
By repairing the vehicles in Ukraine, the company hopes to reduce the time required to return the tanks to the frontline.
Initially, the plant will repair only Marder armored vehicles and an older version of the Leopard tank. But the company has said it wants to repair the more modern Leopard 2 tanks in Ukraine as well.
“We are not just supplying equipment and then withdrawing it – we are showing that we will be there permanently and will support Ukraine.
We plan to work for the long term in Ukraine,” Mr. Bernhard emphasized.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the arms manufacturer’s business has been booming.
Last week, the company announced that it was hiring staff from troubled car parts maker Continental, which has cut 7,000 jobs worldwide.