The German weekly Stern cited an alleged internal Ukrainian military report saying the Rheinmetall Skynex air‑defence system performed below the manufacturer’s claims during a real combat encounter. The report describes a Russian drone strike on an industrial facility in western Ukraine on 1 April 2026, where two Skynex fire units – each with eight 35 mm gun barrels, X‑TAR3D radars and command centres – were tasked with defending the area. Although two hostile drones were detected at about 20 km, only one was engaged, missing with a single shot and ultimately striking the target. The report alleges that three of the eight gun barrels failed due to hydraulic faults, radar tracking problems and ammunition‑loading issues, leaving only two guns able to track the target effectively.
Rheinmetall declined to comment on operational details but reiterated that the Skynex system has demonstrated "exceptional performance" in Ukraine, a view it says has been conveyed by Ukrainian officials. The Stern article relies on a single incident, and no official Ukrainian internal report has been released, making independent verification impossible.
The claim therefore cannot be used to assess the overall capability of the Skynex system.