Ukraine to Receive Iris-T Air Defense System in Weeks
Germany will deliver the fourth IRIS-T SLM air defense system to Ukraine in a few weeks, manufacturer Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch said last week.
Ukraine has been receiving the system since fall 2022 and is promised a total of 12 units each of the medium-range IRIS-T SLM and short-range IRIS-T SLS by Germany.
“Three of our systems are already in Ukraine and more will be delivered this year. The next one in just a few weeks,” Bild quoted Rauch as saying on a visit to Ukraine.
Each system costs around 140 million euros ($149 millions) and has a range of 40 kilometers (25 miles).
Need 25 Patriot Systems: Zelensky
Ukraine is struggling to fend off Russian air attacks and is beginning to run out of air defense interceptor missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in March.
He urged partner nations to step up deliveries of air defense systems to the country, saying 25 Patriot systems are required.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the delivery of a Patriot system to Ukraine earlier this month, without revealing the delivery date.
Berlin is reportedly weighing the possibility of doubling a recent $1.2 billion procurement of Patriots to eight, according to Bloomberg.
