Germany has adjusted its plans to purchase IRIS-T air defense systems for its own armed forces.

The media previously reported that eight air defense systems were planned to be purchased for the Bundeswehr, but on Tuesday, Reuters reported that they now plan to acquire only six IRIS-T air defense systems.

A source in the German Defense Ministry shared this with Reuters ahead of a final decision by lawmakers on Wednesday.

The total cost of purchasing those air defense systems will be about EUR 900 million.

At the beginning of February, information that the Bundeswehr plans to make such a purchase was released, but the defense officials refused to comment on the exact number of systems planned to receive and did not offer the exact terms of the agreement.

Estonia and Latvia have also started negotiations on the joint procurement of the IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defense system.

IRIS-T

The Iris-T air defense system is designed to destroy aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and cruise missiles. Diehl Defence is the general contractor and system integrator for the IRIS-T SLM. It is delivering the launcher along with the missiles.

The system comes in medium and small-radius modifications. The IRIS-T SLM allows hitting the aerial targets at a distance of up to 40 km, and with the “shorter” SLS version – up to 25 km.

Launchers can be based on a wheeled (MAN 8×8) or tracked chassis (two-section all-terrain BvS10 vehicle) and store four or eight containers with missiles for vertical launch.

The primary means of detecting aerial objects are the CEAFAR GBMMR radar with active phased antenna grates.

The system can also work with the German TRML-4D radar (Hensoldt), which detects aerial targets at a distance of up to 250 km.

The Ukrainian military received the first IRIS-T system in October last year. According to defenders, IRIS-T has proven itself as an effective air defense system.