The U.S. and its NATO allies are racing to send air defense systems to Ukraine after back-to-back days of Russian missile and explosive suicide drone attacks on Ukrainian cities this week.
Germany was the first to announced the first delivery of a new air defense system. “The renewed missile fire on Kyiv and the many other cities show how important it is to supply Ukraine with air defense systems quickly,” German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a statement.
Noting the existing “gaps” in European air defense, the German defense minister said “We need to fill these gaps quickly, we are living in threatening, dangerous times”.
Britain has also announced that it would send Ukraine AMRAAM antiaircraft missiles. Spain promised four medium-range Hawk launchers, while French President Emmanuel Macron also said that his country would deliver radar and air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Ukraine has already received the first of four IRIS-T air defense systems Germany promised to supply. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov hailed the first delivery as “a new era” of air defense.
IRIS-T air defense system developed by Germany’s Diehl Defence is meant to provide medium-range, high-altitude cover for small cities and armies.
Each system comprises three vehicles: a missile launcher, a radar, and a fire-control radar, with integrated logistics and support. The missiles, which use infrared imaging to identify targets, are said to have a range of 25 miles (40 kilometers) and a maximum altitude of 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) and come equipped with a radar with a range of 155 miles (250 kilometers).
The air defense systems IRIS-T SLM and IRIS-T SLS offers a “Layered Defense” against the modern range of threats.
The system is most effective as part of a “layered air defense,” in combination with other systems such as U.S.-made Patriot PAC-3 missile defense system, according to Diehl. The sophisticated surface-to-air Patriot missile system has the ability to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles.