Air defence system for Ukraine

Diehl Defence, HENSOLDT and Airbus deliver

Deficits at NATO

Diehl Defence has delivered a combat unit of the IRIS-T SLM air defence system to Ukraine with HENSOLDT and Airbus. The contract was signed in June 2022 and, as Diehl announced in a press release, further IRIS-T SLM combat systems will follow as quickly as the industrial process allows.

Diehl is the general contractor and system integrator for all components and supplies the launcher and the missiles. HENSOLDT carries the multifunction radar
TRML-4D. The command post software IBMS-FC (Integrated Battle Management Software Fire Control) comes from Airbus.

The company supplies the only system to date that is ready for series production. It is designed for ranges of 40 km distance and 20 km altitude. The aim is to extend the range to 80 km and 30 km respectively with an increase in performance. The joint solutions from Diehl Defence, Airbus and HENSOLDT are purely German systems. The company emphasises that the independence from foreign systems ensures certifiability for operation in Germany and security of supply. At the same time, they are fully compatible with NATO's integrated air defence architecture.

The reference is aimed at the European Sky Shield Initiative, which was the subject of a declaration by defence ministers in Brussels last Thursday. According to German Minister Christine Lambrecht, Germany, the UK, Slovakia, Norway, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia are involved in the project.

There are major gaps in Europe. For example, ballistic missile defence, as well as defence against drones and cruise missiles, is deficient. Ballistic missile defence (BMD) has been discussed for a long time, but the only German units that could be deployed for this purpose - equipped with the right missiles - would be the German Navy's Class 124 frigates.

This initiative was launched by Olaf Scholz and was of course prompted by the Russian attack on Ukraine. Until now, missile defence in Europe has primarily been geared towards potential threats from Iran. However, this is based on American systems, which we know as "Aegis Ashore". See also marineforum.online

https://marineforum.online/aegis-an-land/

Another capability deficiency that is now being mercilessly exposed. In this respect, Diehl's announcement is good timing.