German arms maker Rheinmetall received an order from a European country for the supply of 35mm AHEAD ammunition for the Skynex air defence system, the company announced on Tuesday.
The total value of the order is in the low three-digit million-euro range. Under the deal, the company will manufacture a six-digit number of cartridges, it said.
The Skynex system strengthens the protection of the customer country's armed forces against threats from the air, Rheinmetall said, adding that Skynex is based on cannon-based air defence, and is particularly suitable for close-range protection where guided weapons cannot be effective.
Rheinmetall noted that the use of programmable 35mm AHEAD ammunition, as developed for this purpose, is considerably cheaper than comparable guided missile-based systems.
In addition, it is not possible to influence or even deflect the 35mm ammunition by electronic countermeasures after firing, Rheinmetall said.
In Germany, Rheinmetall shares were trading at €535.20 ($581.80), up 0.56%.