As the German government stated, this is the third IRIS-T SLM air defense system delivered to Ukraine. To bolster the Ukraine Armed Forces’ air defense capabilities, Germany will deliver one more system in the near future. As reported by Defence Industry Europe, the first fire unit of the IRIS-T SLM air defense system was delivered to Ukraine in October 2022.
The second fire unit of the IRIS-T SLM was transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in May 2023. This systems is produced by German company Diehl Defence in partnership with HENSOLDT and Airbus Defence and Space.
According to Ukrainian military reports, the IRIS-T SLM system demonstrated extremely high efficiency against a variety of aerial targets, including unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. In September, German company Diehl Defence reported that IRIS-T SLM intercepted more than 110 targets during the war in Ukraine.