Media: deliveries of German IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to Ukraine may be delayed until the end of the year. Why?

The publication Welt am Sonntag, citing sources, reports that the supply of modern air defense systems from Germany may be delayed.

Why?

In early July, Ukraine applied for the purchase of 11 IRIS-T SLM surface-to-air missile systems from the German arms company Diehl Defense and financial support for this purchase. One such system costs 140 million euros, respectively, the cost of 11 complexes is 1.5 billion euros.

Welt am Sonntag wrote that the German Federal Ministry of Economics had already approved the deal, but the final approval by the Federal Security Council and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is still missing. The application has not been approved for three weeks.

A spokesman for the security council commented: "No information can be provided here. As a matter of principle, we do not comment on current agreements with other countries.

The publication writes that delivery of the systems is now expected by the end of the year.

As a reminder, Scholz promised to supply new air defense systems to Ukraine during a speech in the Bundestag on June 1. One IRIS-T SLM can protect the whole big city: guided missiles can shoot down air targets - planes, helicopters and rockets - at the distance up to 40 kilometers and height up to 20 kilometers.

Source: Welt am Sonntag

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