Lithuania plans to purchase IRIS-T SLM air defense systems
26 May, 2024 IRIS-T air defense system. Photo from open sources Lithuania plans to purchase IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to strengthen the country's defense against the Russian threat.
LRT reported on this. The Lithuanian government is considering purchasing German systems, as the country has allocated funding to strengthen its armed forces. After a meeting between Lithuanian Prime Minister Laurynas Kasciunas and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, he told reporters that the country plans to purchase the German IRIS-T air defense system.
The IRIS-T SAM. Photo credits: Latvijas armija
"I can say today a very important thing, from my point of view, that we are considering the acquisition of the IRIS-T medium-range air defense system from Germany," Kasciunas shared with the journalists. This decision is due to the system's high efficiency, which was demonstrated in Ukraine.
According to Diehl, Ukraine has shot down over 110 targets, most of which were Russian Kalibr cruise missiles, with a hit rate of almost 100%. "A system, which has proven itself and is effective in Ukraine, could become part of our armed forces in a few years," he added. It should be noted that the German manufacturer is currently trying to expand its industrial capacity in a relatively short time due to a large number of orders from European countries.
IRIS-T SLM missile.
Photo credits: Diehl
Another priority is to increase the production of IRIS-T SLM missiles, which are currently in short supply due to Ukraine's active use of them to repel Russian attacks. Plans to increase the production of air defense systems were announced in September 2023. At that time, Harald Bushek, the company's CEO, said that the company planned to produce three to four systems in 2024 and at least eight in 2025.
At the same time, the production of missiles for IRIS-T should be increased to 400-500 units this year.
Militarnyi previously reported that Latvia has signed a contract worth hundreds of millions of euros to supply IRIS-T air defense systems.
The contract is worth about EUR600 million, and the system will be delivered to Latvia in 2026.