Denmark and Switzerland are procuring IRIS-T SLM, and Slovenia is acquiring two more fire units. (Diehl Defence)
More European countries are procuring IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) ground-based air-defence (GBAD) systems. Denmark and Switzerland are procuring the system, and Slovenia followed up its initial procurement of one IRIS-T launcher in January 2024 with two more.
On 29 July, the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) announced on its website that the procurement is part of the initial build up of GBAD decided under the auspices of the countryʼs Acceleration Fund, with results expected no later than 2026. Denmark is also procuring the Kongsberg National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and MBDA VL MICA mobile surface-to-air missile system as part of its initial GBAD build up.
Diehl Defence announced in a press release on 30 July that Helmut Rauch, the companyʼs CEO, and Ralph Herzog, vice-president of the Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), Germanyʼs Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support, signed the contracts for the procurement of an IRIS-T SLM fire unit for Denmark on 29 July after DALO granted BAAINBw the authority to do so. Colonel Jan Toft, head of DALOʼs Investment Division, said, “This is the third step in the initial procurement of systems that will pave the way for the re-establishment of a Danish ground-based air-defence capability.”
As IRIS-T SLM is produced in Germany, there is a high level of security of supply, according to Diehl, which said the European supply chain is a strategic advantage, especially in times of geopolitical conflicts.
Swiss systems
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