Germany Delivers New Military Aid Package to Ukraine, Including Third IRIS-T Anti-Aircraft System
The German government has provided Ukraine with another military assistance package, which includes anti-aircraft equipment, ammunition, and 155mm shells. According to the announcement on the official website of the German government, this equipment and weaponry will be supplied from the stocks of the Federal Armed Forces and industrial enterprises.
The most prominent component of this new aid package is the third anti-aircraft missile system, IRIS-T. A single IRIS-T combat system consists of three launchers, a radar station, a command post, and any number of transport-loading machines. There are various versions of the anti-aircraft missile system with different ranges.
Short-range systems like IRIS-T SLS can engage targets within a 20 km radius. Ukraine has received the medium-range IRIS-T SLM system, which can intercept targets at distances of up to 40 km and altitudes of up to 20 km. German designers are currently working on a long-range system, the SLX model, which will be able to intercept missiles at distances of up to 100 km, but this project is expected to take approximately 5–7 years to complete.
Ukrainian military personnel are highly satisfied with the performance of the IRIS-T systems. According to their reports, the system demonstrates high effectiveness, successfully hitting 9 out of 10 targets, which is considered a remarkable achievement in real combat situations.
In addition to the new IRIS-T system, Germany's aid package includes nearly 190 different military and auxiliary items, including:
- Four armored vehicles
- Four HX81 trucks with four trailers
- Eight Vector UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
- Four GO12 ground observation radars
- Five surface drones
- Six pickups for border service
- Missiles for IRIS-T SLS
- Ammunition for MARS II multiple rocket launchers
- 5,000 rounds of 155mm caliber ammunition
- 10,000 protective goggles
It's worth noting that earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a winter military aid package for Ukraine amounting to 1.4 billion euros, with the key component being anti-aircraft defense equipment. Chancellor Scholz emphasized that since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Germany has provided Ukraine with assistance totaling nearly 24 billion euros.
As a result, Germany remains a key supplier of military assistance to Ukraine. According to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, their assistance even surpasses the aid provided by the United States, considering the relative sizes of their economies.