Germany rushes to move up delivery of first of 4 high-tech air defense systems to be delivered quickly

As a result of the Russian airstrikes that hit Ukraine on Monday early morning which was an apparent retaliation for the explosion on a key Crimea bridge and destroying the German embassy in Kyiv in the process, Germany rushed to move up the delivery of the first of four high-tech air defense systems (vehicle-mounted Iris-T SLM systems) to be delivered quickly. These were originally slated to be delivered at the end of the year, according to the statement of German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht.

       

The German army itself has Iris T-missiles in its inventory but not the complete surface-to-air system. It fires missiles from Tornado or Eurofighter jets. The air defense concept is fast gaining traction in Germany.

         

Now that there prevails a tense situation between Germany and Russia over the Ukraine war it is worth noticing since both countries are well equipped with superior war and defense weapons. Earlier this year, the United States approved sale of 35 F-35 fighter planes to Germany. Together with this Germany has ramped up its defense manufacturing.

       

German officials and analysts worry that Russia may have deployed deadly Iskander missiles in its Kaliningrad exclave. These missiles can travel at great altitudes and are capable of striking numerous European cities, including Berlin, in a matter of minutes. This is the primary driver of the German Shield



Initiative.

The idea of the “German Shield” has been mentioned by officials, with architecture design including multiple countermeasures for threats in low, medium, and upper altitudes and distances. The Shield would be coupled with Airbus’ Surface-to-Air Missile Operations Center (SAMOC) battle management system. 

According to Airbus, the SAMOC system can combine parts from NATO and non-NATO countries to create a dedicated defense against adversarial trajectories. As of now, it is used by Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Hungary.

       

In addition, it is unclear whether Germany would opt for one air defense system or a combination. Therefore, while little is known about German plans regarding what systems would make up the German Shield, what is known is that the architecture would have a multi-tier system. 

Germany already has the Patriot, a more seasoned high-altitude and long-range system from the US with a track record of success against short-range projectiles that remain inside the atmosphere. With an Arrow or Iron Dome’s acquisition, another advanced missile defense system would be in its pool.

     

On the other hand, Russia’s newest anti-aircraft missile defense system S-500 (Prometheus) has already been put into mass production, in addition to the already lethal S-400 and S-300, of which S-400 has been majorly in use in the Ukraine war.