The German defence procurement agency (BAAINBw) has announced the delivery of the first unit of the IRIS-T SLM air defence system from Diehl Defence.
This follows the approval last year by the German Parliament to purchase six units of the system. This procurement will address an existing capability gap in the area of ground-based air defence in the German Armed Forces and will enhance both national and alliance defence.
The German Air Force is already familiar with the system due to the training provided to Ukrainian soldiers.
The fire unit includes a medium-range radar that can detect targets up to 250 km away, as well as three launchers, each carrying eight missiles with a range of 40 km. These components are supported by a remote-controlled command post, which the BAAINBw mentioned would help reduce personnel costs.
The entire system is mounted on a standard 20 ft ISO container that can be easily transported by air. According to the BAAINBw, the system has a modular design that allows for quick installation.
The IRIS-T (infrared imaging system tail/thrust vector-controlled) is a medium-range infrared homing missile available in air-to-air and surface-to-air variants. The missile was developed in the late 1990s to early 2000s as part of a German-led program aimed at producing a short to medium-range infrared homing air-to-air missile to replace the AIM-9 Sidewinder used by some NATO member countries at the time.
One of the programme’s goals was to ensure that any aircraft capable of firing the Sidewinder could also launch the IRIS-T. The air-to-air variant was deployed in 2005, while variants for surface-to-air defence systems, including the short-range IRIS-T SLS in 2015 and the medium-range IRIS-T SLM in 2022, came later.
A single IRIS-T SLM battery, provided by Germany to Ukraine, comprises three truck-mounted launchers, each carrying eight missiles with a range of 40 kilometres (25 miles), and a separate command vehicle capable of being positioned up to 20 kilometres (12 miles) away. The command vehicle integrates multiple radar sources and can launch and track all 24 missiles simultaneously.
The IRIS-T SLM is designed to counter surface-to-air missiles and cruise missiles, including low-flying, stealthy missiles like the Kalibr.
