Slovenia eyes purchase of German IRIS-T air defense system

WARSAW, Poland — Slovenian Defense Minister Marjan Šarec has announced the country’s government is in talks to purchase the German -made IRIS-T medium-range air defense system in the near future.

“At the moment, we do not have a very efficient air defense system,” Šarec told public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. “Some in Slovenia say that we are collectively protected by NATO, but it takes some time for allied aircraft to reach Slovenia, and air defense with such a system is something different from aircraft.”

The ministry has not disclosed the acquisition’s estimated value. However, local paper Delo reported that Ljubljana aims to spend about €200 million ($223 million) to purchase the surface-launched, medium-range (SLM) variant of the system which is manufactured by Diehl Defence.

Owing to the planned acquisition, Slovenia could join an expanding group of eastern flank allies who are in the process of securing the IRIS-T for their militaries. Last May, Estonia and Latvia announced they are kicking off negotiations to buy the system.

Germany has also delivered the interceptors to Ukraine to support the nation’s combat against the ongoing Russian invasion. The IRIS-T has a range of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles).

In the cabinet, Šarec represents the Freedom Movement party of Prime Minister Robert Golob which rules together with two smaller coalition partners, the Social Democrats and the Left. The planned IRIS-T purchase is already creating tensions within the government, as the latter party’s representatives have criticized it, claiming Slovenia does not need to buy the interceptors to bolster its security.

The Slovenian Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, wants the investment to be understood as a national contribution to an emerging NATO air defense network.

“Slovenia, together with 19 other countries, accepted the German initiative to strengthen the European pillar of NATO’s joint air and missile defence through the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI),” a spokesperson for the agency told Defense News. “Slovenian Minister of Defence Maran Šarec has been authorised by the government to sign a memorandum of understanding on the joint procurement of land-based air defence systems under the ESSI.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated on July 14 to include a comment from the Slovenian MOD.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——斯洛文尼亚国防部长马里安·沙雷茨宣布，该国政府正在洽谈在不久的将来购买德国制造的IRIS-T中程防空系统。

“目前，我们的防空系统效率不高，”沙雷茨告诉斯洛文尼亚公共广播公司RTV。“斯洛文尼亚有些人说我们受到北约的集体保护，但盟军飞机抵达斯洛文尼亚需要一些时间，而且这种系统的防空能力与飞机本身的防空能力是不同的。”

该部尚未透露此次采购的预估价值。不过，当地报纸《Delo》报道称，卢布尔雅那计划斥资约2亿欧元（2.23亿美元）购买由迪尔防务公司生产的该系统的陆基中程（SLM）版本。

由于计划采购，斯洛文尼亚可能加入到东翼盟友的行列，这些盟友正在为其军队采购IRIS-T系统。去年5月，爱沙尼亚和拉脱维亚宣布启动购买该系统的谈判。

德国也向乌克兰交付了拦截导弹，以支持该国对抗持续不断的俄罗斯入侵。IRIS-T导弹的射程可达40公里（25英里）。

在内阁中，沙雷茨代表总理罗伯特·戈洛布领导的自由运动党，该党与两个较小的执政联盟伙伴——社会民主党和左翼党——共同执政。计划购买IRIS-T拦截器已经在政府内部引发紧张局势，因为左翼党的代表对此提出批评，声称斯洛文尼亚无需购买拦截器来加强安全。

与此同时，斯洛文尼亚国防部希望将这项投资理解为该国对正在崛起的北约防空网络的贡献。

“斯洛文尼亚与其他19个国家一起接受了德国提出的通过‘欧洲天空之盾倡议’（ESSI）加强北约联合防空和导弹防御欧洲支柱的倡议，”该机构发言人告诉《防务新闻》。“斯洛文尼亚国防部长马兰·沙雷茨已获得政府授权，将根据ESSI签署一份关于联合采购陆基防空系统的谅解备忘录。”

编者按：本文于 7 月 14 日更新，加入了斯洛文尼亚国防部的评论。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。