The German Air Force has officially declared the initial operating capability (IOC) for the IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defense system.
This achievement was marked at a ceremony held at the Todendorf military training area in Schleswig-Holstein, attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and Chief of the German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz. Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch and a representative from the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) were also present.
The declaration comes just one year after the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag approved the procurement of six IRIS-T SLM fire units, financed through the Bundeswehr’s special fund. By early August 2024, Diehl Defence had delivered the first unit as scheduled, and now, with the IOC declared, the system is operational.
IRIS-T SLM is designed to protect critical infrastructure and assets on the ground from aerial threats, including aircraft, missiles, and drones. It is expected to enhance Germany’s defense capability and contribute to the security of other nations using the system.
“I am proud that Diehl Defence as a system house for ground-based air defence contributed with its delivery reliability to the fact that the German Air Force could declare its IOC for our system IRIS-T SLM,” said Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence, as he handed over a symbolic key for the system to Harald Albrecht, the deputy of BAAINBw President Annette Lehnigk-Emden.
Since summer 2023, the German Air Force has operated a training facility in Todendorf where both German personnel and participants from other nations are trained on the IRIS-T SLM system. Several air chiefs from the ‘European Sky Shield Initiative’ (ESSI) were also present at the IOC event, underscoring the system’s growing importance within Europe’s defense landscape.