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A military column was spotted in the area of the Polish city of Katowice. It was reportedly heading from Germany towards Ukraine. Judging by the footage, German air defense systems are approaching Ukrainian front lines.
At least three German short-range anti-aircraft missile systems IRIS-T SLS are seen in the military column.
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Recently, the German Ministry of Defense announced the delivery of four air defense systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The pictures were taken at night, so probably the IRIS-T launchers could already have reached Ukrainian territory by now.
The decision to supply new batch of the military equipment the Kiev regime was announced on October 10, immediately after Russian missiles and UAV hit dozens of targets on the Ukrainian territory.
“Russia’s missile strikes on targets in Ukraine show the importance of the early transfer of air defense systems to Kiev,” Defense Minister Kristine Lambrecht said.
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The timing of the supply indicates that the decision to send the IRIS-T SLS to Ukraine was taken in advance. Earlier, it was reported that IRIS-T SLM systems could be deployed in Ukraine from November if the decision was taken.
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The IRIS-T SLM system can engage aerial targets up to 40 kilometers away at altitudes of up to more than 19 kilometers. The system’s main armament, the IRIS-T SL missile, is first directed towards its target via a datalink. Once in close proximity, the missile locks on the target with its imaging infrared seeker.
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As the main caliber of the ground-based anti-aircraft missile system, the Iris rocket was first tested in 2014 and since then the testing process has been ongoing to this day. The Germans are sending this missile to see how the SAM will operate in critical conditions of harsh combat operations, where the enemy has complete air supremacy.
Some of the downsides of the IRIS-T SLM air-defense system are its limited range and its infrared-based guidance system which makes it vulnerable to some extant to active counter-measures like flares. They are also unlikely to provide Ukraine with any new capability. Kiev forces are already using medium-range air-defense systems like the Soviet-made Buk-M1 with little success.
