Ambassador to Germany: Ukraine to receive 11 more IRIS-T air defense systems

Ukraine has ordered 18 IRIS-T SLM systems from Germany, seven of which have already been received, and 11 more are to be delivered later. About reported ukraine's Ambassador to Germany Oleksiy Makeyev in an interview with Evropeiska Pravda.

The diplomat clarified that each system currently being manufactured for Ukraine in Germany includes three SLM (medium-range) launchers and two SLS (short-range) launchers.

"This is a single complex," the ambassador emphasized.

When asked about the Patriot air defense systems and how much Ukraine expects to receive through German support, the ambassador noted that this number is currently changing.

"We first asked the Germans to buy two systems for us in the United States. After the meeting in Ramstein, it was publicly announced that the partners were trying to find five systems. However, in reality, we need 10 or more," Makeiev said.

He clarified that the five or 10 systems are about the general pool of European countries that have undertaken to help Ukraine.

"I think it will become known who financed how much. First of all, we are talking about orders, i.e. production. However, it is possible that someone will agree to give the existing system back earlier in order to receive a new one from the factory," the ambassador concluded.

• on June 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Germany had developed a plan to supply IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine, is designed for a three-year period.
• on July 23, Spiegel reported that Ukraine will not receive the Patriot announced by Trump by the spring of 2026.
• on July 24, the President reminded that Ukraine needs 10 Patriot systems. Three have been officially confirmed: two from Germany and one from Norway.