We have been eagerly awaiting it, and now it has happened: IRIS-T SLM also hits the "high seas" during the German Navy's "Maritime Firing Exercise" off Norway. The manoeuvre will take place off the Norwegian coast near Andøya from 13 to 24 October 2025.

The frigate "Sachsen" is the flagship and leads up to ten German units, including frigates, corvettes, tenders, supply vessels, on-board helicopters and a submarine. The aim of the exercise is to demonstrate the deterrent capability and operational readiness of the navy for national and alliance defence. In addition to the navy, the army, air force and international partners also take part in order to strengthen co-operation. This is the Navy's largest firing programme in decades, with up to 54 missile launches as well as torpedo and artillery shots to realistically test the weapons systems.

Following the deployment of the frigate "Hessen" in the Red Sea and the frigate "Hamburg" in the Mediterranean, the German Navy's defence capabilities against threats from the air became the focus of attention. The capabilities of the Class 125 frigate in particular came under fire when the "Baden-Württemberg" sailed around the Horn of Africa rather than through the Red Sea for security reasons. A good measure to avoid exposing the crews unnecessarily to the dangers posed by the Huthi. Even then, the navy demanded an upgrade.

Now what the inspector of the navy, Vice Admiral Jan Kaack, described as "lightning speed" has happened: the IRIS-T trial has succeeded, apparently something that was built for "land" can now be used at sea. One belief less....

Diehl Defence took part in the "Maritime Firing Exercise 2025" (MFE) - the German Navy's largest missile firing exercise in three decades - with a navalised system demonstrator of the proven IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defence system. The exercise, known as "Andøya", allows the crews to train complex weapon systems and procedures under near-real conditions.

A so-called AAW module (Anti Air Warfare module) was developed in close cooperation with the customer in record time and integrated on the C-deck of the frigate "Baden-Württemberg" (type F125). The demonstrator was realised in less than ten months, from idea to firing. The IRIS-T SLM system, which had already been tried and tested in the Ukraine, also demonstrated its well-known qualities on the high seas and fulfilled all the test and trial objectives set for the MFE 2025. The navalised IRIS-T SLM system confirmed its high hit rate. Diehl Defence thus achieved the important milestone of having successfully tested a navalised variant of an air defence system with a missile from the IRIS-T family for the first time.

Since 2016, the German Navy has regularly used the Andøya firing range in the north of Norway for tests and exercises with various weapon systems. The proximity to Germany and the good conditions on site make Andøya particularly suitable. In 2021, an agreement was concluded between Germany and Norway that regulates the use of the firing range in the coming years. The next few weeks of evaluation will show whether this successful test paves the way for the series introduction of IRIS-T SLM for the navy, as Diehl proudly announces.

But we don't have time for pessimism either.

Text: Diehl / hsc