Germany to provide Ukraine with four IRIS-T air defense missile systems


During an interview published on September 28, 2022, by the eurointegration.com.ua website, German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen announced that Germany will provide Ukraine with four batteries of IRIS-T air defense missile systems. These systems are still in production and the first IRIS-T and first air defense system will be completed at the end of October 2022.
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German IRIS-T air defense missile system mounted on light truck Unimog. (Picture source Army Recognition)


The IRIS-T air defense systems are manufactured specifically for Ukraine, and they are not in service with the German army, added the German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhuzen.

On June 1, 2022, the Army Recognition editorial team reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany will provide Ukraine with the German-made IRIS-T air-dense missile system manufactured by the company Diehl Defence.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Germany has shown its involvement in helping Ukraine with the supply of a large quantity of military equipment and combat vehicles including 30 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD, one counter-battery radar system COBRA, 54 M113 armored personnel carriers, 10 self-propelled howitzers Panzerhaubitze 2000, 3 multiple rocket launchers MARS II M270 with ammunition as well as ammunition and individual equipment for soldiers.

Recently, Germany has also approved the sale to Ukraine of 18 RCH-155, 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers manufactured by the German company Kraus-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).

The IRIS-T SLM is a mobile surface-to-air defense missile system that was designed and developed by the German company Diehl BGT Defense. The missile can be used to counter and destroy aerial targets such as aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, guided weapons, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-radar rockets, and large-caliber rockets. It can be also used to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles at very short and medium-range distances.

The IRIS-T is a German-made short to medium-range infrared homing air-to-air missile that was developed to intercept fast-moving and miniature targets, such as air-to-air/surface-to-air missiles and air-to-surface/surface-to-surface missiles and rockets, UAV/drones, and cruise missiles.

Based on the IRIS-T, the German company Diehl Defense has developed the IRIS-T SL, a land-based version. The missile can be launched from a vertical launcher station which can be mounted on wheeled or tracked combat vehicles. The IRIS-T SLM is the medium-range version of the IRIS-T SL.

The missile of the IRIS-T SLM has a maximum firing range of 40 km and an altitude of up to 20 km. The command and fire control vehicle is used to conduct the analysis of the threats and transmit firing orders to the launcher units. The vehicle is connected via a network to superior combat operation centers. The multi-function radar is able to detect aerial threats at a maximum range of 200 km on 360°. It can detect up to 500 objects at the same time.