BERLIN --- The Budget Committee of the German Bundestag has approved the financial resources for the production of prototypes of an air defense system for close and immediate area protection. This paves the way for the development of a new system based on the Boxer wheeled tank.
In order to close the existing capability gaps in ground-based air defense, the development of a system for protecting a troop formation against attacks from the air and for drone detection and defense can begin.
The core elements of such a network for close and immediate area protection will probably be a command post, fire control tanks, radar devices and anti-aircraft missile tanks. For anti-aircraft defense, the components are to on the basis of the GTK armored transport vehicle Boxer be installed with a guided missile.
The IRIS-T SLS, the surface-to-air variant of the IRIS-T, is to be used
The Budget Committee has approved 1.23 billion euros for the development of an initial version of the most important components. The investment will initially be financed from the Bundeswehr special fund. The project will then continue in the regular defense budget. A prototype of the system is scheduled to be available in 2028.
Meilenstein für den Schutz vor Angriffen von Drohnen und anderen Bedrohungen unserer Truppen aus der Luft.
Gestern hat der Haushaltsausschuss grünes Licht für das zukünftige Luftverteidigungssystem Nah-/Nächstbereichsschutz gegeben. Bereits diesen Sommer wird die erste voll… pic.twitter.com/NASLPCSu65— Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) January 19, 2024
Milestone in protecting our troops from drone attacks and other aerial threats. Yesterday the Budget Committee gave the green light for the future air defense system short-range/near-area protection. The first fully operational IRIS T SLM will be handed over to us in Todendorf this summer. (Twitter translation)
Until the Army's anti-aircraft defense force was disbanded, the Gepard anti-aircraft gun was one of the main weapon systems to accompany the tank and armored infantry troops and to protect them from attacking aircraft and helicopters at low altitudes. It was in use until 2010.
Experiences from Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression underline how important mobile and protected air defense systems are for national and alliance defense: discarded Gepard tanks were put back into operation and delivered to Ukraine to combat air targets there.
With the Roland weapon system, the Bundeswehr already had an anti-aircraft missile tank to combat low-flying aircraft. It was withdrawn from use in 2005.
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