Ukraine Receives 11th IRIS-T SLM System

Ukraine has received its 11th IRIS-T SLM surface-to-air missile system from Germany, which has already been commissioned and deployed for air defense operations.

The German Aid to Ukraine (GAU) project reported this on October 1, citing an informed source familiar with the delivery process. The information was made public several weeks after the transfer for security reasons.

In a comment to Militarnyi, the project’s author said that the two additional launchers (1x SLM/1x SLS) announced earlier are not yet part of the fire units delivered to Ukraine.

This is the second IRIS-T SLM fire unit delivered to Ukraine in 2026, and the eleventh since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The tenth was delivered in May.

According to GAU, Ukraine is expected to receive another such system, the 12th, by the end of the year.

Germany is also funding the reinforcement of the systems already delivered and those planned for future delivery with additional IRIS-T SLM and IRIS-T SLS launchers.

The German government has allocated €182 million for this work. Combining medium-range SLM missiles with less expensive short-range SLS missiles should allow ammunition to be distributed more flexibly depending on the type of target.

Ukraine to Receive 18 IRIS-T SLM Fire Units in Total

According to the project’s author, Ukraine is set to receive seven more fire units, bringing the total to 18.

“As far as I know, Ukraine will receive seven more fire units, bringing the total to 18,” the author of German Aid to Ukraine told Militarnyi.

According to the information available to him, deliveries of these systems to Ukraine are already secured through the end of 2028.

In response to Militarnyi’s question about possible production constraints affecting further increases in deliveries, the project’s author said that TRML-4D radars are definitely not a problematic component. They are manufactured by German company HENSOLDT, which, in his assessment, is handling the production ramp-up well.

At present, he sees relatively balanced production rates for the fire units themselves and the missiles for them, although it is impossible to determine which component is being produced in the smallest quantities.

New Orders May Be Needed to Continue Production

The author of German Aid to Ukraine also said he was not aware of any decision already made to expand the delivery program beyond the current plans.

At the same time, he believes that if Germany plans to continue supplying IRIS-T SLM systems to Ukraine after fulfilling the contracts already in place, orders for approximately two to four additional fire units may be needed in the coming months to avoid losing established production capacity.

At the same time, production slots can be adjusted by agreement with other customers. According to him, such arrangements have already been made, in particular between German and Estonian orders.

In his view, future contracts will also depend on how Berlin assesses the duration of the war and Ukraine’s future need for air defense systems.

Officially, the German government continues to list IRIS-T among the main areas of military assistance to Ukraine. The list of planned and ongoing deliveries also includes additional IRIS-T systems and missiles for them.

In addition, in April 2026, the governments of Ukraine and Germany separately agreed on a contract for the delivery of additional IRIS-T launchers as one of the priorities of bilateral security cooperation.

According to GAU, Ukraine’s IRIS-T SLM systems are primarily used to intercept Russian cruise missiles and drones. The project estimates their average interception rate at around 95%, based on available data on their combat use.

IRIS-T SLM

IRIS-T SLM is a surface-to-air missile system introduced in 2014 and based on the extended-range IRIS-T SL missile. Development of the missile itself began in 2007.

Compared with the original IRIS-T SL, it is longer and has a larger diameter. Due to a new solid-fuel motor, it can reach speeds of up to Mach 3 (3,675 km/h) and a range of up to 40 kilometers, with a ceiling of 20 kilometers.

The standard combat unit of the system is a battery, which consists of:

• command post,
• multifunctional radar for target detection and tracking (TRML-4D, CEAFAR, Ground Master 200, etc.),
• self-propelled launchers.

Each SAM launcher is equipped with a rail carrying eight missile canisters.