Berlin To Send Remaining IRIS-T Air Defense Systems To Kiev In 2023 - Defense Minister

Sumaira FH Published October 17, 2022 | 10:09 PM

The remaining three German air defense systems IRIS-T promised to Ukraine will be delivered in 2023, German Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht said on Monday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2022) The remaining three German air defense systems IRIS-T promised to Ukraine will be delivered in 2023, German Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht said on Monday.

On October 12, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the first IRIS-T had arrived in the country. In total, Berlin plans to deliver four such systems to Kiev.

"The rest (air defense systems) will be delivered within the next year, in accordance with the industry's capacity," Lambrecht was quoted by German broadcaster ZDF as saying.

Lambrecht said the slow pace of production and the lack of already built systems was due to the previous government's economy agenda. The minister promised to provide the Ukrainian military with tents and heaters amid the looming winter.

On Sunday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that additional support would be provided to Kiev, especially in the field of air defense, which is more important than the supply of German tanks, she added.

Russian missile systems Iskander and Kalibr are able to effectively overcome such air defense systems, primarily due to the ability to get as close as possible to the target at a distance of 10-15 meters (33-50 feet), military expert Alexei Leonkov told Sputnik.

Russia has repeatedly denounced the West for sending Ukraine billions Dollars worth of weapons, noting that it adds fuel to the fire and only prolongs the conflict. Moscow warned that any cargo that contained weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for the Russian armed forces.