Ukraine Receives Tenth IRIS-T Air Defense System From Germany

Ukraine has received a launcher for the IRIS-T air defense system from Germany.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced this in his morning address on May 31, 2026.

He thanked Germany for its assistance and noted that Ukraine is grateful for its continued contribution to protecting people.

At the same time, according to information from the German Aid to Ukraine user, Ukraine received not a single launcher but a full IRIS-T SLM air defense battery.

As part of this cooperation, crew training for the new systems was also completed in Germany.

According to the German Aid to Ukraine’s calculations, this is the tenth IRIS-T SLM firing unit that Germany has transferred to Ukraine since 2022.

It is expected that by the end of the year, Ukraine will receive two more such systems — the eleventh and twelfth.

An IRIS-T SLM air defense battery consists of three launchers, one TRML-4D radar, and one command post.

In addition, work is underway on a project to modernize previously delivered IRIS-T SLM air defense batteries, as well as those scheduled for delivery in the near future.

The project involves integrating one additional IRIS-T SLM launcher and one IRIS-T SLS system into each firing unit.

Militarnyi previously reported that Diehl Defence has launched a new production facility in Nonnweiler, Saarland, and plans to increase production of IRIS-T air defense systems to ten units this year.

Company representatives note that after reaching 10 batteries in 2026, the next target is 16 systems over 2 years.