Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that Ukraine received a new IRIS-T air defence launcher from Germany, according to Reuters, further strengthening Kyiv's efforts to protect its cities and critical infrastructure from Russian missile and drone strikes.
"Ukraine received a new IRIS-T air defence launcher from Germany yesterday," Zelenskyy said, highlighting Berlin's continued military support for Ukraine.
The latest delivery adds to Germany's previous transfers of IRIS-T systems. In August 2023, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had received two additional IRIS-T launchers, describing them as a key addition to the country's air defence network.
"Two new IRIS-T launchers have been delivered to Ukraine. This is a powerful and much-needed air defense system," he said at the time.
The IRIS-T SLM is a German-made medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by Diehl Defence. It is designed to intercept a wide range of aerial threats, including aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, drones and precision-guided munitions.
The system has an engagement range of up to 40 kilometres and can intercept targets at altitudes of up to 20 kilometres. A typical IRIS-T battery includes missile launchers, a TRML-4D radar, a command-and-control unit and support vehicles.
The radar detects incoming threats and transmits targeting information to the command centre, while missiles receive mid-course updates before using an infrared imaging seeker to lock onto and destroy targets.
Ukraine has relied heavily on IRIS-T systems since 2022 to defend urban centres and critical infrastructure against Russian aerial attacks. The system has earned a reputation for effectively intercepting cruise missiles and Iranian-designed Shahed drones frequently deployed by Russian forces.
Germany remains one of Ukraine's largest military backers and has supplied multiple air defence systems as Kyiv seeks to reinforce its layered air-defence network against ongoing missile and drone barrages.
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