New German air defense system IRIS-T arrives in Ukraine - Spiegel
Archive photo: Ukraine received a new IRIS-T (armyinform.com.ua)
Today, on May 24, a new air defense system from Germany arrived in Ukraine. It is capable of intercepting enemy cruise missiles, informs Spiegel.
The source notes that the German federal government is bolstering Ukraine's air defense.
"According to Spiegel, another IRIS-T SLM surface-to-air missile system arrived in Ukraine on Friday," the journalists wrote.
According to their information, Ukraine currently has four medium-range IRIS-T systems and one short-range IRIS-T system. Meanwhile, Germany has promised Kyiv nine IRIS-T SLMs and eleven IRIS-T SLSs, manufactured by Diehl Defense.
However, the journalists note that Ukraine lacks not only the air defense systems themselves but also the ammunition for them. This is due to intensified air strikes on Ukraine, and now the manufacturer is trying to meet Kyiv's demand for missiles for the air defense systems.
IRIS-T for Ukraine
Ukraine received its first system from Germany back in 2022. The system allows for effective counteraction against Russian cruise missiles and potentially can destroy helicopters.
Recently, the German Ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Jaeger, stated that Ukraine would receive a new IRIS-T air defense system from Germany in May of this year.