ESSI

On November 30, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia and Diehl Defence signed a purchase order on the procurement of the IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence system. For Latvia, it is the biggest defence investment since its independence more than 30 years ago

Diehl Defence: EUR 600 million order for IRIS-T SLM air defence system

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia and Diehl Defence signed a purchase order on the procurement of the IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence system.

Defence Ministers from 10 NATO Allies came together on Wednesday (11 October 2023) to sign a memorandum of understanding to further develop the European Sky Shield Initiative. Under Germany’s leadership, the initiative aims to bolster European air and missile defence through the joint acquisition of air defence equipment and missiles by European nations. This will strengthen NATO’s integrated air and missile defence.

ESSI: further step to boost European air and missile defence capabilities

Air, Important / By Defence Industry Europe

“European Sky Shield Initiative, under Germany’s leadership, shows the value of Allies stepping up to meet NATO’s requirements, while ensuring interoperability and integration,” said NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană.

German lawmakers have authorized advance payments of up to 560 million euros ahead of the planned purchase of Israel's Arrow 3 missile defense system. The system, designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside of the Earth's atmosphere, serves as the top layer of Israel's comprehensive missile defence array. The decision comes as Germany aims to bolster its defense capabilities and address the shortage of ground-based air defense systems in many Western nations amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Arrow 3 system: the highest layer of the European Sky Shield Initiative

Air / By Defence Industry Europe

The Arrow 3 missile defence system will be fully integrated with the other systems that form the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI).

Visiting Diehl Defence in Röthenbach (Germany), the Estonian and Latvian Ministers of Defence, Hanno Pevkur and Ināra Mūrniece, have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, on their future participation in the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI).

Diehl Defence – a key industry partner of the European Sky Shield Initiative

Air, Top / By Defence Industry Europe

Diehl Defence is a keen supporter of ESSI and will be ready to supply any of its ground-based air defence systems.

On February 15, Denmark and Sweden joined the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) coordinated by Germany. This brings the number of participants to 17, including 15 Allies as well as invitees Finland and Sweden. Among other things, the initiative aims to strengthen NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defence by facilitating the multinational acquisition and integration of a broad range of air defence capabilities by European countries.

Denmark and Sweden join the European Sky Shield Initiative

Air, Important, NATO / By Defence Industry Europe

“Germany’s leadership through the European Sky Shield Initiative, leveraging already existing NATO cooperation frameworks, is a crucial step to ensure that NATO can effectively defend itself against air and missile threats,” said NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană.