Germany will deliver the fourth IRIS-T SLM air defense system to Ukraine in a few weeks, manufacturer Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch said last week. Ukraine has been receiving the system since fall 2022 and is promised a total of 12 units each of the medium-range IRIS-T SLM and short-range IRIS-T SLS by Germany. Each system costs around 140 million euros ($149 million) and has a range of 40 kilometers (25 miles).
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in March that Ukraine is struggling to fend off Russian air attacks and is running out of air defense interceptor missiles, urging partner nations to step up deliveries of air defense systems to the country, with 25 Patriot systems required. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the delivery of a Patriot system to Ukraine earlier this month, without revealing the delivery date. Berlin is reportedly considering doubling a recent $1.2 billion procurement of Patriots to eight, according to Bloomberg.
