The Ljubljana-based company Valhalla Turrets, which specializes in remote-controlled weapon stations (RCWS), announced the Skythunder counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) system on X on Friday.
The Skythunder is based on the MANGART 25 turret, whose first prototypes were sent to Ukraine for direct field testing. It was provided as part of the Wolf 25 AD C-UAS system manufactured in partnership with the Slovak defense company DefTech to meet a Ukrainian C-UAS requirement in early 2025.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
The system replaces the Oerlikon KBA 25mm automatic cannon in the Wolf 25 AD with the three-barrel GDLS 20mm M197 Gatling gun – the main armament normally mounted on the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter.
The M197 weighs about 60 kilograms (132 pounds), fires up to 1,500 rounds per minute, and has a maximum effective range of about 2,000 meters (2,200 yards).
The gun is paired with a 70mm (2.75-inch) laser-guided rocket launcher that provides longer-range precision strike capabilities than the Gatling gun. This could be the Arnold Defense LAND-LGR4 “Fletcher” system that is fitted to other Valhalla Turrets weapons. This could extend the effective range out to 5-7 kilometers (3-4.4 miles).
— VALHALLA TURRETS (@ValhallaTurrets) October 16, 2026𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻: 𝗦𝗸𝘆𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗗𝗟𝗦 𝟮𝟬 𝗺𝗺 𝗠-𝟭𝟵𝟳 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝘂𝗻
A new Skythunder is coming. pic.twitter.com/juG6dHvEaC
The image released on X shows the system mounted directly on an Oshkosh 6x6, 5-ton FMTV M1140 chassis – the same platform used by the M142 HIMARS multi-barreled rocket system.
The incorporation of these critical US-sourced components has led commentators to suggest that Skythunder was intended to compete for the Pentagon’s “Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (LIDS),” the first $729 million contract of which US arms maker RTX Raytheon recently won.
Other Topics of Interest
Russian Drone Strike Near Kyiv-Odesa Highway Kills 3
Traffic was restricted near Chabany after a Russian drone strike set cars on fire close to a shopping center.
According to the Valhalla Turrets announcement, Skythunder features integrated 360-degree radar coverage, which allows it to autonomously sense, track, and engage large swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of an integrated air defense network.
Other Valhalla Turrets-based systems
In October 2025, Croatian arms maker DOK-ING and Valhalla Turrets produced the KOMODO-MANGART 25 unmanned C-UAS system. The fully robotic platform is designed for urban operations, infrastructure protection and high-risk operations, according to a DOK-ING press release covered by Ukrainian tech outlet dev.ua.
In the same month, Valhalla Turrets and Azerbaijani defense firm Zireh unveiled the HMS30 mobile C-UAS system at the ADEX 2026 defense exhibition in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The HMS30 is mounted on a KamAZ-43114 military truck chassis and fields twin Russian-designed 30mm 2A42 automatic cannons. It uses an advanced electro-optical sighting system and has a range of 1.5 to 2 kilometers (0.9 to 1.2 miles).
In June, the company presented the Skythunder 300 at the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition. The Skythunder 300 is based on the MANGART 30 remote weapon control system (RWCS) and was mounted on a Daimler 4x4 armored truck.
It included a Northrop Grumman MK44S Bushmaster 30mm automatic cannon, a separate turret mounting a Dillon Aero M134D 7.62mm six-barrel machine gun, and Arnold Defense LAND-LGR4 70mm guided rockets.
In August, General Dynamics European Land Systems integrated a Valhalla MANGART 30 turret into its ASCOD tracked combat vehicle.
Austrian Spanish Cooperation Development (ASCOD) is a family of modular, tracked armored fighting vehicles developed jointly by Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG and Spanish General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas (part of General Dynamics European Land Systems).
According to the Israeli Defense news site, gun-based air defense systems will be an essential component of the West’s C-UAS capabilities. It says the war in Ukraine has demonstrated an urgent operational need for a more cost-effective way of intercepting large numbers of low-cost drones, rather than current, expensive interceptor missiles that cost significantly more than the targets they face.
Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.