Months ago, Ukraine was promised delivery of the state-of-the-art German air defense system IRIS-T SLM. Now it should have arrived in Ukraine.
Germany is said to have handed over the first of four IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to Ukraine, reports Der Spiegel. The first handover is said to have taken place on Tuesday near the Polish-Ukrainian border. The recent massive rocket attacks by the Russians on Kyiv and other cities make it clear how important it is to deliver advanced air defense systems to Ukraine, said Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD).
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz had already promised the delivery of four IRIS systems in June. The remaining three units are scheduled for delivery next year. The 140 million euro system is considered one of the most modern weapon defense systems in the world and is now intended to strengthen the Ukrainian air defense system. The system is so modern that not even the Bundeswehr is equipped with it. But what can IRIS-T SLM do – and what makes it so special?
Now save articles for later in “Pocket”.
The IRIS-T SLM was developed by the German company Diehl Defence. The system’s missiles can repel fighter jets, helicopters, cruise missiles, rocket artillery and bombs at an altitude of up to 20 kilometers and a distance of up to 40 kilometers.
The weapons of the IRIS system can attack an enemy aircraft from any direction and are not dependent on a favorable firing position behind the enemy.
According to military expert Carlo Masala, the modern defense system offers great advantages for Ukraine: “The IRIS-T-SLM air defense system can better protect entire cities,” he says in an interview with the “Tagesspiegel”. Masala also assumes that with IRIS-T-SLS, Ukraine will be able to set up its own no-fly zone over a limited area.
General Hans-Lothar Domröse also said to the “Welt”: “IRIS-T SLM is brand new on the market and the most modern device there is”. The General considers it an excellent defensive system.
Because the state-of-the-art weapon offers even more advantages: The IRIS system is extremely mobile and quick to set up and use. The modern data connection makes it possible to launch the rockets and only assign them a target as they approach. A major advantage for Ukraine: the defense against low-flying opponents can be significantly improved because the missile’s sensors can detect the target from above.
The form of the air defense system is also special: It is housed in several 60-foot standard containers and thus functions independently of a carrier vehicle.
An IRIS system consists of at least one launcher with eight missiles each, a 360-degree radar and a command module. The missiles are a further development of the Eurofighters air missile.
The delivery of the German system to the Ukraine was only possible because the manufacturer Diehl had already largely completed a unit ordered by Egypt. Egypt agreed to cede the system and receive a later delivery, reports Stern.
The state-of-the-art air defense system offers Ukraine significantly better protection than the old Soviet-made rocket launchers that the country has been using to defend itself. The chairwoman of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), says in an interview with “Welt” that the latest Russian missile attacks could have been prevented with the modern IRIS-T air defense system.
