Rheinmetall Air Defence AG is a division of German armament manufacturerRheinmetall, created when the company'sOerlikon Contraves unit was renamed on 1 January 2009 and integrated with Rheinmetall's other air-defence products.^[1] Oerlikon Contraves was a Swissanti-aircraft artillery manufacturer famous for its adaptation of the 191620 mm Becker as theOerlikon 20 mmautocannon design, which was used in theSecond 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 byRheinmetall in 1999.^[2]

As of January 2009^[update], Rheinmetall Air Defence had around 1,050 employees at locations in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Canada. The group's sales in 2008^[update] were about 380,000,000Euros.^[1]

Oerlikon's earliest predecessor wasSchweizerische Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon, founded in theOerlikon district ofZürich, Switzerland in 1906.^[3]

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 calledContraves (contra aves isLatin for "against birds", better translated as "anti-flying-objects") In 1989, theWerkzeugmaschinenfabrikOerlikon-Bührle and Contraves merged to form theOerlikon-Contraves Group, later renamedOerlikon Contraves Defence.^[4] Oerlikon Contraves was purchased byRheinmetall, a German armament manufacturer, in 1999, and renamed Rheinmetall Air Defence AG on 1 January 2009.

American versions of theOerlikon 20 mm cannon, such as the Mk 4, Mk 10, and Mk 24, were used extensively from World War II to theVietnam War. Asanti-aircraft weapons used by theUS Navy, they were frequently the last line of defence againstkamikaze attacks. Most combat ships fromaircraft carriers toPT boats were equipped with Oerlikon guns. During the Vietnam War they were widely employed byriverine forces asanti-personnel weapons. They remained in service until the 1970s, when they were replaced by the Mk 16 20 mm cannon.^[5]

Oerlikon also developed the followingsurface-to-air missiles: theRSA Missile, theRSD 58, and theKriens RSC Missile.Oerlikons 20mm cannon was frequently used on Naval Ships throughout the 1920s, 30s and 40s.^{[citation needed]}

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.

• Oerlikon KAD cannon, calibre 20×139 mm

• Oerlikon KAE cannon, calibre 20×128 mm (modernised variant of KAA and KAB cannons)^[6]
• Oerlikon KBA autocanon, calibre 25×137 mm^[7]
• Oerlikon KCA autocanon, calibre30×173 mm^[7]
• Oerlikon KCE autocanon, calibre30×173 mm^[8]
• Oerlikon KDE autocanon, calibre 35×228 mm (used onMitsubishi Type 89 IFV)
• Oerlikon KDC autocanon, calibre 35×228 mm^[7]
• Oerlikon KDG autocanon, calibre 35×228 mm^[7]

• 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
  • OerlikonSkyshield, calibre 35×228 mm
    • Oerlikon revolver gun Mk2^[9]
    • Oerlikon revolver gun Mk3^[10]
  • Oerlikon Skynex
    • SkyKnight C-RAM missile launcher unit^[11]
• Mobile Air Defence:
  • Oerlikon Skyranger:^[12]
    • 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^[13]
  • High-energy laser C-RAM^[14]
• Command systems
  • Oerlikon Skymaster^[15]
  • Oerlikon Skynex^[11]

• Naval Gun Systems:
  • Oerlikon Natter:
    • Oerlikon Natter 7.62, calibre7.62×51 mm NATO^[16]
    • Oerlikon Natter 12.7, calibre12.7×99 mm NATO^[16]
  • Oerlikon Searanger:
    • Oerlikon Searanger 20, calibre 20×128 mm^[16]
    • Oerlikon Searanger 25, calibre 25×137 mm^[17]
  • Oerlikon Seasnake:
    • Oerlikon Seasnake 20, calibre 20×128 mm^[16]
    • Oerlikon Seasnake 30, calibre30×173 mm^[16]
  • Oerlikon Millennium Naval Gun, calibre 35×228 mm^[16]
• Search and Acquisition Radar:
  • Oerlikon X-TAR3D/M
• Radar and Electro Optical Tracking Modules:
  • Oerlikon TMX/EO NT
  • Oerlikon TMX/EO Mk2
  • Oerlikon SeaVision^[16]
  • Oerlikon SeaStorm^[16]
• Command and Control:
  • Oerlikon Seaguard naval tracking system^[18]
  • Oerlikon Weapon Control Module

• Oerlikon Fieldranger 20^[19]

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

Oerlikon Contraves subsidiaryOerlikon Transtec manufactured railcar and locomotive systems, including locomotive brakes, subway and electric train power conversion systems, and other subsidiary systems for mass-transit vehicles.^[20] As of October 2010^[update], Rheinmetall's website no longer lists these products as part of the Air Defence group.^[21]

Rheinmetall Air Defence (RAD) is one of six companies that were blacklisted byIndia'sMinistry of Defence in March 2012 for their involvement in a bribery scandal.^[22] The companies are accused of bribing the Director General ofOrdnance 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.^[23] RAD has claimed that the charges against it are without merit.^[24]

Rheinmetall Air Defence was implicated in a corruption case in India along with arms dealerAbhishek Verma and his wifeAnca Verma lodged by anti-corruption agency of India, theCBI in 2012 for bribing defence officials for securing multi billion dollar weapons contracts of the Indian military establishment.^[25][26] 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 throughInterpol.^[27] The case at present is under trial in Indian courts.^{[28][needs update]}

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

• 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

• Rheinmetall-DeTec, parent company
• Official site