German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Germany has ordered 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine.

The Chancellor stated this during a press conference at the Air Force base near Kiel.

At the military base, Scholz received the IRIS-T system for the German army.

He confirmed that Berlin had ordered 5 more IRIS-T systems for Germany and 17 more for Ukraine.

Scholz said that the purchase of six IRIS-Ts for the Bundeswehr will play a key role in strengthening the European initiative Sky Shield.

Four of them will be shipped by the end of this year, and the rest—next year, the Chancellor promised.

According to Scholz, Ukraine has already received 7 IRIS-Ts, which have helped to shoot down more than 250 Russian missiles and drones.

Ukraine received the first IRIS-T SLS short-range air defense systems from Germany in August 2023.

The system is designed to destroy cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs. The IRIS-T SLS can intercept aerodynamic targets at a distance of up to 12 kilometers and an altitude of up to 8 kilometers.

The self-propelled air defense system is mounted on the tracked chassis of the BvS10 all-terrain armored vehicle, but it can also be mounted on a wheeled chassis.

The system is based on an IRIS-T missile with an infrared homing head modernized for ground launch.