Rheinmetall Air Defence

Rheinmetall Air Defence office at the arms factory in Zürich-Oerlikon

Rheinmetall Air Defence AG is a division of German armament manufacturer Rheinmetall, created when the company's Oerlikon Contraves unit was renamed on 1 January 2009 and integrated with Rheinmetall's other air-defence products.<ref name="change pr">Template:Cite press release</ref> Oerlikon Contraves was a Swiss anti-aircraft artillery manufacturer famous for its adaptation of the 1916 20 mm Becker as the Oerlikon 20 mm autocannon design, which was used in the Second World War and remains in use. Copies and derivatives of these designs were made by German, French, British, and Japanese weapon manufacturers. Oerlikon Contraves was purchased by Rheinmetall in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Template:As of, Rheinmetall Air Defence had around 1,050 employees at locations in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Canada. The group's sales Template:As of were about Template:Currency.<ref name="change pr"/>

History

Oerlikon's earliest predecessor was Schweizerische Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon, founded in the Oerlikon district of Zürich, Switzerland in 1906.<ref name="corp-hist">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1923 it acquired a factory in Germany. It entered the anti-aircraft defence field in 1924. In 1936, it founded a purely anti-aircraft development company called Contraves (contra aves is Latin for "against birds", better translated as "anti-flying-objects") In 1989, the Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon-Bührle and Contraves merged to form the Oerlikon-Contraves Group, later renamed Oerlikon Contraves Defence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Oerlikon Contraves was purchased by Rheinmetall, a German armament manufacturer, in 1999, and renamed Rheinmetall Air Defence AG on 1 January 2009.

Historic products

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

American versions of the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, such as the Mk 4, Mk 10, and Mk 24, were used extensively from World War II to the Vietnam War. As anti-aircraft weapons used by the US Navy, they were frequently the last line of defence against kamikaze attacks. Most combat ships from aircraft carriers to PT boats were equipped with Oerlikon guns. During the Vietnam War they were widely employed by riverine forces as anti-personnel weapons. They remained in service until the 1970s, when they were replaced by the Mk 16 20 mm cannon.<ref name="NAVWEAP">Template:Cite web</ref>

Oerlikon also developed the following surface-to-air missiles: the RSA Missile, the RSD 58, and the Kriens RSC Missile. Oerlikons 20mm cannon was frequently used on Naval Ships throughout the 1920s, 30s and 40s.Template:Citation needed

Products Template:Anchor

The Skyranger 30 is the Rheinmetall's latest mobile air defence system

Rheinmetall Air Defence specialises in ground-based and naval air defence. Their products include search-and-tracking sensors, 35 mm air-defence guns, command-and-control posts, battle management and ship-based combat systems.

Medium calliber weapons

• Oerlikon KAD cannon, calibre 20×139 mm

• Oerlikon KAE cannon, calibre 20×128 mm (modernised variant of KAA and KAB cannons)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Oerlikon KBA autocanon, calibre 25×137 mm Used with: Oerlikon Searanger 25, Oerlikon Fieldranger 25, Dardo IFV, Freccia IFV, Hitfist turret, Leonardo Spallacia,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ASELSAN STOP, ASELSAN NEFER<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Oerlikon KCA autocanon, calibre 30×173 mm<ref name=":0" />
• Oerlikon KCE autocanon, calibre 30×173 mm<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Oerlikon KDE autocanon, calibre 35×228 mm (used on Mitsubishi Type 89 IFV)
• Oerlikon KDC autocanon, calibre 35×228 mm<ref name=":0" />
• Oerlikon KDG autocanon, calibre 35×228 mm<ref name=":0" />

Ground-based air defence Template:Anchor

Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon

• Radar systems
  • Oerlikon Skyguard 3
  • X-TAR3D (radar)

• Ground Based Air Defence Unit:
  • Oerlikon GDF, calibre 35×228 mm, twin cannon
  • MANTIS C-RAM, calibre 35×228 mm
  • Oerlikon Skyshield, calibre 35×228 mm
    • Oerlikon revolver gun Mk2<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
    • Oerlikon revolver gun Mk3<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Oerlikon Skynex
    • SkyKnight C-RAM missile launcher unit<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Mobile Air Defence:
  • Oerlikon Skyranger:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
    • Oerlikon Skyranger 30
    • Oerlikon Skyranger 35
    • Oerlikon Skyranger Search Radar Control Node (SRCN)
    • Oerlikon Skyranger Missile (Stinger oder äquivalent)
    • Oerlikon Skyranger Missile (Cheetah)
  • Air Defence Anti-Tank System
  • Natter Counter-UAS-System<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • High-energy laser C-RAM<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Command systems
  • Oerlikon Skymaster<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Oerlikon Skynex<ref name=":1" />

Naval systemsTemplate:Anchor

• Naval Gun Systems:
  • Oerlikon Natter:
    • Oerlikon Natter 7.62, calibre 7.62×51 mm NATO<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
    • Oerlikon Natter 12.7, calibre 12.7×99 mm NATO<ref name=":2" />
  • Oerlikon Searanger:
    • Oerlikon Searanger 20, calibre 20×128 mm<ref name=":2" />
    • Oerlikon Searanger 25, calibre 25×137 mm<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Oerlikon Seasnake:
    • Oerlikon Seasnake 20, calibre 20×128 mm<ref name=":2" />
    • Oerlikon Seasnake 30, calibre 30×173 mm<ref name=":2" />
  • Oerlikon Millennium Naval Gun, calibre 35×228 mm<ref name=":2" />
• Search and Acquisition Radar:
  • Oerlikon X-TAR3D/M
• Radar and Electro Optical Tracking Modules:
  • Oerlikon TMX/EO NT
  • Oerlikon TMX/EO Mk2
  • Oerlikon SeaVision<ref name=":2" />
  • Oerlikon SeaStorm<ref name=":2" />
• Command and Control:
  • Oerlikon Seaguard naval tracking system<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Oerlikon Weapon Control Module

Weapon stations (vehicles)

• Oerlikon Fieldranger 20<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Oerlikon Fieldranger 25<ref name=":3" />

Other military products

• Mosquito (missile) ATGM
• LLM01 laser light module for firearms

Civilian products Template:Anchor

Oerlikon Contraves subsidiary Oerlikon Transtec manufactured railcar and locomotive systems, including locomotive brakes, subway and electric train power conversion systems, and other subsidiary systems for mass-transit vehicles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, Rheinmetall's website no longer lists these products as part of the Air Defence group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Corruption charges

Rheinmetall Air Defence (RAD) is one of six companies that were blacklisted by India's Ministry of Defence in March 2012 for their involvement in a bribery scandal.<ref name=toi-blacklists>Template:Cite news</ref> The companies are accused of bribing the Director General of Ordnance Factories Board (OFB), Sudipta Ghosh. RAD and the other firms have been barred from any dealings with the OFB and all other Indian defence companies, as well as being blacklisted from participating in any Indian defence contract, for a period of 10 years.<ref name=upi-blacklists>Template:Cite news</ref> RAD has claimed that the charges against it are without merit.<ref name=splf-foul>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rheinmetall Air Defence was implicated in a corruption case in India along with arms dealer Abhishek Verma and his wife Anca Verma lodged by anti-corruption agency of India, the CBI in 2012 for bribing defence officials for securing multi billion dollar weapons contracts of the Indian military establishment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> RAD Chairman Bodo Garbe and General Manager Gerhard Hoy were issued summons of the Indian courts. Subsequently a red-corner notice was issued for their detention through Interpol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The case at present is under trial in Indian courts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Update inline

See also

• 30mm DS30M Mark 2 Automated Small Calibre Gun
• Typhoon Weapon Station

References

• Air Force Center "Fliegermuseum Dübendorf"
• Hugo Schneider: Armament and equipment of the Swiss Army since 1817: light and medium anti-aircraft air defence anti-aircraft missiles, Volume 12 of armament and equipment of the Swiss Army since 1817, Author Publisher Stocker-Schmidt, 1982

External links

• Rheinmetall-DeTec, parent company
• Official site