The German Air Force has achieved initial operating capability (IOC) for the IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defense system developed by Diehl Defence.
The achievement was celebrated during an official event at the Todendorf military training area in Schleswig-Holstein, attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and Chief of the German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz.
“I am proud that Diehl Defence, as a leading provider of ground-based air defense, has contributed to the success of the German Air Force with the reliable delivery of the IRIS-T SLM system,” Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch commented.
Diehl Defence delivered the Bundeswehr the IRIS-T SLM system in early August 2024. The German military has ordered six systems, which will be delivered by May 2027.
The full battery comprises a radar, a mobile command center, and several launch vehicles. This platform can intercept and destroy aerial threats like aircraft, air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, or drones. The system has an operational range of around 40 kilometers (25 miles).
In October 2022, Germany launched the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) to combine European air defense capabilities through joint acquisitions. The program has selected three systems: the German IRIS-T SLM, the Israeli Arrow-3, and the US-made Patriot systems.
Starting in 2023, the Todendorf facility has trained operators from the German Air Force and other nations. The facility will also provide training support for all other NATO and ESSI countries acquiring the IRIS-T SLM.
Though the system was developed and manufactured in Germany, it is already operational in other countries. In June 2022, the German government pledged to send IRIS-T SL air defense systems to Ukraine, with the first one delivered in October of the same year. So far, four IRIS-T SLM systems have been delivered, with plans to send a total of 12 to Ukraine.