Großwald Systems: IRIS-T SLM
The IRIS-T SLM (Infra-Red Imaging System – Tail/Thrust Vector-Controlled, Surface-Launched Medium Range) is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by the German company Diehl Defence.
IAMDDINGER Großwald Systems
Updated 31 May 2026
Key points
- Medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by Diehl Defence, derived from the IRIS-T air-to-air missile. Anchors the European Sky Shield Initiative medium tier with eight signed ESSI customers; Egypt and Ukraine are the principal non-ESSI users.
- Ukrainian cumulative orders are the largest of any customer: May 2025 €2.2 bn expansion contract, November 2025 €320 m for 8 IRIS-T SLS fire units. Diehl reported 240+ confirmed intercepts by June 2024; Ukrainian operators publicly cite intercept rates near 99%.
- Common SLM/X launcher unveiled at Enforce Tac on 24 February 2026 admits the 80-km SLX interceptor into the existing eight-canister launcher without a new fire-control architecture.
The IRIS-T SLM (Infra-Red Imaging System · Tail/Thrust Vector-Controlled · Surface-Launched Medium Range) is a medium-range ground-based air-defence missile system developed by Diehl Defence. Egypt placed the first export contract in December 2021. Ukraine became the first operational user in October 2022. The Bundeswehr received its first IRIS-T SLM fire unit in 2023.
The system is the medium-range layer of the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI). Eight ESSI states have signed IRIS-T SLM orders: Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. Egypt and Ukraine are the principal non-ESSI users. The common SLM/X launcher capable of firing both the 40-km SLM and the 80-km SLX interceptor from a single eight-canister launcher was unveiled by Diehl Defence at Enforce Tac on 24 February 2026.
IRIS-T family architecture
The IRIS-T missile is shared across four ground-based variants and the air-to-air baseline. Each variant draws on the same Überlingen and Nonnweiler serial output.
| Variant | Tier | Envelope | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRIS-T (AAM baseline) | Air-to-air | Within-visual-range to BVR | In service; Block II upgrade in development (Germany lead, with Sweden, Spain and Italy) |
| IRIS-T SLS | Short-range GBAD | ~25 km | Ukraine operator; Sweden ordered additional launchers in December 2025 |
| IRIS-T SLM | Medium-range GBAD | 40 km range, 20 km altitude | Eight ESSI customers; Egypt and Ukraine outside ESSI |
| IRIS-T SLX | Long-range GBAD | 80 km range, 30 km altitude | Dual-seeker (radar + IR), dual-pulse motor; prototype testing scheduled 2029; Egypt ordered ten batteries in 2021 |
| IRIS-T SLM/X launcher | Common launcher (24 Feb 2026) | Mixed SLM + SLX loadout | Unveiled at Enforce Tac; integrates SLX into existing SLM units without a new fire-control architecture |
The SLM/X launcher preserves the existing TRML-4D radar, Integrated Battle Management Software and ground architecture while admitting the longer-range SLX interceptor into the same eight-canister load. The Block II air-to-air upgrade runs in parallel: Germany leads, with Sweden, Spain (Sener takes the control and actuation systems) and Italy participating.
Customer queue and contract values
Confirmed IRIS-T SLM operators by contract date, with named contract values where disclosed:
| Operator | Contract | Volume | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | December 2021 | 7 SLM batteries, 10 SLX, ~400 missiles | Origin export customer; some October 2022 deliveries redirected to Ukraine |
| Ukraine | Eurosatory June 2022; expansion May 2025 (€2.2 bn); November 2025 (€320 m for 8 SLS) | Largest cumulative orders | Operational from October 2022; 240+ confirmed intercepts by June 2024 per Diehl CEO Helmut Rauch; ~99% intercept rate reported by Ukrainian operators |
| Germany | June 2023 €950 m; November 2025 ~€4.2 bn additional | 6 fire units + 216 missiles initial; +14 systems in the November 2025 package; planning 50 total | First German-configured fire unit delivered 13 February 2026; five systems scheduled for 2026 delivery |
| Estonia + Latvia (joint) | 2022–2023 | Joint ESSI cluster procurement | Delivery 2024–2025; Latvia Diehl service hub MoU signed 16 March 2026 |
| Bulgaria | October 2024 €182 m | 1 fire unit + options for 5 more by 2032 | Selected over Patriot on cost grounds: ~$1.4 bn for 7 batteries vs. ~$7 bn for equivalent Patriot national coverage |
| Sweden | June 2025 ~€810 m (SEK 9 bn); December 2025 SLS launcher order | 7 fire units (49 vehicles); 2 launchers per battery rather than the standard 3 | Deliveries mid-2028 to 2030 |
| Switzerland | July 2025 CHF 500 m; +CHF ~1 bn under Armeebotschaft 2026 | 5 fire units initial; +2 under the 2026 expansion = 7 total | Running parallel to Swiss Patriot termination evaluation |
| Slovenia | August 2025 | +2 fire units | First delivery 2027; second and third 2028 |
| Denmark | December 2025 expansion | 1 fire unit interim + expansion | Layered with NASAMS and the April 2026 SAMP/T NG selection |
Norway, Slovakia and Lithuania are broader ESSI signatories but do not have signed IRIS-T SLM orders to date.
Operational record — Ukraine
Ukraine became the first operational IRIS-T SLM user in October 2022, with delivery of a battery originally allocated to the Egyptian order. The Ukrainian contract was signed at Eurosatory in June 2022.
Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch publicly reported more than 240 successful intercepts by IRIS-T SLM and SLS systems in Ukrainian service as of June 2024; the cumulative figure crossed 250 in subsequent reporting. Ukrainian operators have publicly cited intercept rates of approximately 99% across deployed batteries; one battery is reported to have neutralised 15 cruise missiles in a single engagement window.
Demonstrated engagement performance:
- Shahed-136 and Geran-class loitering munitions
- Kh-101, Kh-555 and Kalibr cruise missiles; Iskander-K
- Reported intercepts of Iskander-M and Kinzhal ballistic threats; performance against the high-end ballistic class (Oreshnik, late-terminal Kh-47M2) is marginal
- The eight-cell magazine limits engagement density under saturation; reload between waves is the operational constraint
System specification
- Length 2.94 m · Diameter 152 mm · Weight 87.4 kg
- Warhead 11.4 kg HE-fragmentation
- Range up to 40 km (SLM); 80 km (SLX)
- Altitude 20 km (SLM); 30 km (SLX)
- Speed Mach 3+
- MAN SX45 8×8 chassis
- Eight canisters, two banks of four
- Vertical launch, 360° engagement
- SLM/X common launcher (Feb 2026): mixed SLM + SLX loadout
- Mid-course: GPS/INS with RF datalink
- Terminal (SLM): passive infrared seeker
- Terminal (SLX): dual-seeker (radar + IR), dual-pulse motor
- HENSOLDT TRML-4D (4D AESA, S-band) — ESSI default
- Diehl IRIS-T Integrated Battle Management Software
- Air-picture interoperability with NASAMS, Patriot, SAMP/T NG
SAMP/T NG — peer comparison
The principal European peer at the medium-to-long range tier is SAMP/T NG, developed by the Eurosam joint venture (MBDA, Thales). The two systems occupy adjacent rather than overlapping tiers; the SLM/X common launcher narrows the engagement-envelope gap.
| IRIS-T SLM / SLM-X | SAMP/T NG | |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement envelope | 40 km / 20 km altitude (SLM); 80 km / 30 km (SLX, common launcher) | 150 km / 25 km altitude |
| Interceptor | IRIS-T (Diehl), 87.4 kg | Aster 30 B1NT (MBDA), 450 kg |
| Radar | HENSOLDT TRML-4D | Thales Ground Fire 300 |
| Initial customers | Egypt (Dec 2021); Ukraine (Jun 2022 export); Germany (Jun 2023) | France and Italy native; Denmark cleared April 2026 |
| Cost per fire unit | ~€140–160 m typical | ~€700 m+ per battery (estimated) |
| Production base | Diehl Überlingen and Nonnweiler | Eurosam (FR, IT) |
Customer overlap is limited. ESSI participants typically run IRIS-T SLM at the medium tier and either Patriot PAC-3 MSE or SAMP/T NG at the long-range tier. Bulgaria publicly cited cost as the basis for selecting IRIS-T SLM over Patriot — approximately $1.4 billion for seven batteries against approximately $7 billion for equivalent Patriot national coverage.
Production
IRIS-T family production runs across two integrated Diehl sites: development and final assembly at Überlingen on Lake Constance, and missile integration at Nonnweiler in Saarland. The Nonnweiler missile integration centre opened on 23 January 2026 with 3,400 m² of additional production space and explosives-rated infrastructure. Total industrial-expansion investment is approximately €1.5 billion across more than 20 construction projects at the Nonnweiler site, of which the integration centre is the first completed.
| 2023 | 2025 | 2026 target | 2028 target | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRIS-T missiles / year | ~150 | ~1,000 | up to 2,000 | — |
| IRIS-T launchers / year | — | — | 10 | 16 |
HENSOLDT operates the parallel constraint on the TRML-4D radar side; the company opened a Ukraine innovation hub in April 2026 to support battlefield maintenance and knowledge transfer.
Outlook
The IRIS-T SLM order book extends production into the early 2030s. Three variables sit on the supply side: Nonnweiler missile output against the 2,000-per-year target; HENSOLDT TRML-4D radar throughput as the parallel ceiling on system-level deliveries; and the Block II air-to-air upgrade timeline, which feeds the shared missile baseline across SLM, SLS, SLX and AAM variants.
Sources: Diehl Defence, HENSOLDT, BAAINBw, participating European Sky Shield Initiative ministries, statements by Diehl Defence executive leadership, SIPRI Arms Transfers Database.
Großwald Systems · updated 31 May 2026 · corrections: editorial@grosswald.org
