In the presence of Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the defense ministers of Estonia, Hanno Pevkur, and Latvia, Ināra Mūrniece, signed a letter of intent regarding their future participation in the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) during a visit to Diehl Defense in Röthenbach . 19 European states want to take part in the project initiated by Germany to build an integrated ground-based European air defense. In addition to 17 NATO countries, Austria and Switzerland are also involved.
On the occasion, the two countries signed a contract with Diehl Defense for the supply of IRIS-T SLM air defense systems. The number and configuration of the systems were not disclosed. Pevkur estimated the procurement volume at 360 million euros for Estonia and one billion euros for Latvia. For the two Baltic countries, this is the largest defense investment since their independence more than 30 years ago, writes Diehl. Careful project management is now required to ensure that the first systems can be delivered and operational in 2025, the Estonian side said. Diehl wants to double the production rate, Pevkur noted.
In Deutschland hat die Luftwaffe die „European Defence Academy“, ein Ausbildungszentrum für die Luftverteidigung aufgebaut. Der Inspekteur der Luftwaffe, Generalleutnant Ingo Gerhartz, hat seine ESSI-Kollegen zum Besuch eingeladen. An der Akademie könnten Estland und Litauen gemeinsame und kombinierte Ausbildungsmöglichkeiten für IRIS-T SLM im Rahmen von ESSI nutzen.
Diehl Defense sees itself as a major supporter of ESSI and says it is prepared to supply its ground-based air defense systems for this purpose if the nations involved express interest. Within the Diehl Defense product portfolio, the IRIS-T SLM system is designed to defend against threats from enemy aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and drones at a distance of up to 40 km and an altitude of 20 km.
An IRIS-T SLM firing unit consists of the components launcher, radar and command post. It is supplemented by support elements such as workshop, spare parts and reloading vehicles. According to Diehl, the system is characterized by its high tactical mobility, deployability of the launch devices and multiple target engagement with low personnel costs.
gwh / editors
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