Switzerland Orders Five IRIS-T Systems

Switzerland has made an atypical indirect order for IRIS-T air defense systems, involving the German army as a formal customer.

The press service of Diehl Defence announced this.

The contract for the supply of five IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missile batteries for the Swiss Army was signed with the German Bundeswehr Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Operations.

The Swiss Defense Procurement Office, Armasuisse, granted the necessary authority for this, justifying the procurement scheme with its benefits. The joint procurement with the German army will enable economies of scale and ensure full compatibility with German air defense forces.

The value of the deal was not disclosed, but last year the Swiss government allocated 660 million francs ($826.5 million) for the purchase of air defense systems.

In addition to the systems themselves, the agreement also provides for the supply of mobile maintenance complexes, spare parts, and a training facility for the Swiss Armed Forces.

Switzerland chose the German solution based on the results of tests in April this year. The military got acquainted with the system and tested the TRML-4D radar station, which is part of the IRIS-T battery.

The radar was tested alternately at the Homberg test site and the Emmen airfield test site, where it was tested in various scenarios. In particular, PC-12, PC-7, F/A-18 aircraft, and helicopters simulated the attack on the complex, allowing for the testing of target detection effectiveness.

Meanwhile, Diehl Defence notes that an important argument in promoting their system is the “customer experience,” in which the system provided a “very high hit rate” even during waves with more than twelve targets. Obviously, this refers to the work of Ukrainian calculations against Russian cruise missiles and long-range drones, since the system has never been used anywhere else under such conditions.

The ordered IRIS-T SLM systems are intended to fill a gap in the Swiss Armed Forces’ air defense capabilities. Existing systems, such as Stinger, Rapier, and Skyshield, can only provide short-range countermeasures.

Instead, the ordered systems will be able to cover the need for targeted air defense and intercept capabilities for airplanes, helicopters, and missiles at a distance of 40 km and altitude of up to 20 km.

Including Switzerland, nine countries have already chosen this system to meet their ground air defense needs in this segment. Only last month, Sweden ordered seven IRIS-T SLM batteries.