Image source: topwar.ru
Germany will be the first Western country to supply Ukraine with medium-range anti-aircraft systems capable of intercepting targets at an altitude of up to 20 km. The corresponding statement was made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Speaking in the Bundestag, Scholz said that the German government had decided to supply Ukraine with the most modern anti-aircraft systems available in the German army. We are talking about the IRIS-T air defense system. Scholz did not announce the terms and volumes of delivery. It is noted that before that, the West sent to Ukraine only MANPADS and one S-300 division from Slovakia, which was safely destroyed by strikes of high-precision Russian missiles.
- he declared.
Earlier, Berlin announced that it was considering the issue of supplying medium-range IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to Kiev. It was reported that in case of a positive decision, deliveries could begin no earlier than November 2022. But the training of the Ukrainian military will begin as soon as the delivery of air defense systems to Kiev is announced.
The IRIS-T SLS/SLM air defense system was developed by the German company Diehl Defense, is a modular anti-aircraft missile system built on the principles of open architecture. It is based on the IRIS-T SL (Surface Launched) anti-aircraft guided missile, which, in turn, is an upgraded IRIS-T air-to-air missile manufactured by the same company Diehl. The missile defense system is equipped with an improved power plant, a communication channel, GPS navigation equipment, a new nose fairing that reduces drag. The missile uses additional radio command guidance (in combination with inertial-satellite correction) on the main section of the trajectory with the capture of the target by an infrared type IIR GPS on the final section.
The IRIS-T SL vertical launcher is mounted on the chassis of a light truck and provides the ability to hit targets in the 360 degree sector. The firing range reaches 40 km, the altitude reach is 20 km.
