Twenty-one countries, including Britain and Turkey, have signed up to a German-led project designed to make the continent less vulnerable to airstrikes at a time of growing geopolitical tensions.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has accepted the delivery of the advanced IRIS-T air defense system to the German Armed Forces and confirmed an order for five more systems, as well as an additional 17 units for Ukraine to help repel Russian attacks.
Bloomberg reports this, citing a statement by Scholz made on September 4.
Arriving at an air base located on the northern coast near Kiel, Scholz said that the purchase of six IRIS-T systems for the Bundeswehr, produced by Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG, will play a key role in strengthening the European Sky Shield initiative.
IRIS-T for Ukraine
The weapons have already helped shoot down more than 250 Russian UAVs and missiles and save many lives, Scholz said. And four systems will be delivered before the end of 2024, and the rest in 2025.
“This shows that German support for Ukraine is not waning. We planned ahead and secured contracts and funding in a timely manner so that Ukraine can continue to rely fully on us. And it also shows that our industry is very effective – when it has the necessary planning security,” Scholz told guests, including Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Ukraine will receive 24 IRIS-T systems from Germany by 2026 — 12 medium-range and 12 shorter-range, according to a government official.
These are eight medium-range missiles (SLM) and nine short-range missiles (SLS). Four SLM and three SLS systems are already in Ukraine.
The six IRIS-T systems for the Bundeswehr will cost about 950 million euros, added the official, who asked to remain anonymous, discussing confidential planning.
At the same time, Scholz has been criticized for refusing to supply the government in Kiev with longer-range missiles. He expressed concern that the country could be drawn into a wider conflict if the weapons it supplies are deployed against Russian targets.
And in his speech this time, Scholz dismissed criticism of his government's decision to allow the United States to deploy conventional long-range weapons in Germany from 2026.
The issue was on the campaign trail for two regional elections in eastern Germany on Sunday, in which populist parties opposed to the move performed well.
He described the overall goal as “deterring a possible attack.”
“Any attack on us must pose a risk to the attacker. Our goal is to ensure peace here and prevent war. Nothing more,” said Scholz.
He addressed “all those who doubt this decision.”
Recall that earlier in Germany they responded to their government's intentions to limit military aid to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Alexey Makeyev, commented on the situation.
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