Image source: topwar.ru
Diehl Defense (Germany) has shown the IRIS-T SLM/X anti-aircraft missile system with a range of 100 km. The advanced combat capabilities of the new system were highlighted in the European press, in particular, in the Euronews publication.:
The new system includes a single launcher with 8 containers on a standard 20-foot ISO frame, capable of launching both SLM and SLX interceptors. This configuration allows the use of heterogeneous missiles and the operation of launchers at different distances, creating a layered defense.
The SLX has a maximum firing range of 100 km, an interception distance (that is, an effective kill zone) of 80 km, a firing height of 30 km, and a speed of over Mach 4. For SLM missiles, similar characteristics are 60/40/20 km and about 3 Max, respectively.
The IRIS-T SLM/X air defense system:
Image source: topwar.ru
The SLM has a mass of 121 kg, the SLX – about 150-170 kg due to the larger dual-mode engine. Both missiles use the same type of high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 11.4 kg with radar and contact fuses. A high-precision IR seeker is responsible for guidance, in addition to which the SLX also has a radar guidance channel (since the target's thermal footprint is already faintly discernible at a distance of 80 km).
The complex includes 3 launchers (each with 8 missiles), the Hensoldt TRML-4D radar, and the IBMS-FC control system.
The vertical-launch missile launcher is equipped with its own control system, generator and antennas, which allow it to operate at a distance of up to 20 km from the tactical operations center. The time to reach fire readiness after being positioned is 10 minutes, and the time to recharge is 15 minutes.
The Hensoldt TRML-4D 3D radar with AFAR (made of gallium nitride) operates in the G-band and provides a 360° azimuth view by rotating the antenna. The detection range is 250 km, and the altitude is up to 30 km. The radar can simultaneously track up to 1,500 targets in 3D mode. It is capable of detecting objects with an EPR of 0.01 m2, identifying fighter-sized targets at a distance of 120 km, and tracking supersonic missiles at a distance of 60 km.
As the developer explained, if an order for the IRIS-T SLM/X appears in the near future, then tests of the concept can be carried out in 2029.
