The German Army has received its first Iris-T SLM air defence system. The Bundeswehr is expected to receive five more by May 2027.
In response to the Russian threat, the German army received its first Iris-T SLM air defense system on Wednesday, four of which Berlin has already delivered to Ukraine since October 2022.
Vladimir “Putin has deployed missiles as far as Kaliningrad, 530 kilometres from Berlin as the crow flies. Not responding appropriately would be negligent (…) Inaction would endanger peace here too,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a ceremony at the Bundeswehr military base in Todendorf, in the north of the country.
Manufactured by the German company Diehl, the Iris-T SLM systems protect against drones, planes, helicopters and cruise missiles at a distance of 40 kilometers and a height of up to 20 kilometers.
In total, Berlin has ordered six of these systems. After the delivery of the first example on Wednesday, the Bundeswehr should receive the other five by May 2027. They are a component of the German air shield project European Sky Shield (ESSI), presented by Berlin in August 2022 in Prague and “in which 21 countries participate”, the German Chancellor stressed.
US missiles in Germany from 2026
In addition to the short-range defense provided by the Iris T system, the ESSI initiative relies on the American Patriot for medium range and the American-Israeli Arrow-3 for long range. Advocating an air defense system using European equipment, France is not part of the ESSI project.
In his speech, Olaf Scholz praised the project: “We want as many states as possible to get this system.”
“What is also emerging today is a plan for European defence cooperation, well beyond the field of air defence,” he said.
Benaouda Abdeddaïm: A German air defense system for Poland, the outline of a German shield in the East – 22/11
Having already delivered four Iris-T SLM systems and three Iris-T SLS (a related model) to Ukraine, Berlin plans to supply Kiev with eight of the first model and nine of the second.
“We will deliver two of each this year and the rest from 2025,” said Olaf Scholz.
Faced with the Russian threat, Berlin also agreed in mid-July with Washington to deploy American missiles punctually in Germany from 2026. A decision that Olaf Scholz defended again on Wednesday despite criticism in Germany coming mainly from the far right and the far left: “It is about ensuring peace here and preventing war!”
