The Swedish Defence Material Administration signed a contract with Diehl Defence to deliver IRIS-T SLS surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems for the country’s armed forces. The new units comprising the IRIS-T missile, missile launching station and fire control system are to improve the national air defence by protection against air attacks from a large variety of threats including missiles, helicopters and aircraft.

Following deployment, the mobile system allows fully automatic operation 24 hours a day. The Swedish Army will operate the SAM fire units, together with a new command and control system as well as modernised sensors from Saab.

IRIS-T SLS employs the standard IRIST air-to-air missile and is the short-range complement to the medium-range IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defence system of Diehl Defence.

With the IRIS-T SLS/SLM groundbased air defence systems, Diehl is setting new standards in open system design architectures providing maximum flexibility for new weapon systems as well as for the modernisation/upgrade of legacy equipment. IRIS-T SLM is based on the SAM system development in Germany for national air defence.

Delivery of the first IRIS-T SLS systems is scheduled to commence in 2016. As partner of the European missile programme, Sweden has already introduced the IRIS-T air-to-air missile for its Gripen fighter aircraft.