Diehl Defence participates in the development and production of a new Mobile Ground Based Air Defence system, which will be delivered to the Norwegian Army. Prime contractor of this program is Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS. The system will employ Diehl Defence’s IRIS-T air-to-air missiles, which are already in service with the Norwegian Air Force. Similar to the IRIS-T SLS air defence system, which is just brought into service in the Swedish Army, the IRIS-T missile can be used both in air-launched and ground-launched applications.
The missiles will be launched from an advanced IRIS-T SLS missile launcher based on key components from Diehl Defence. Additionally, Diehl Defence will support Kongsberg in the integration of the IRIS-T SLS in the overall system architecture. Norway is now the second country after Sweden, which employs IRIS-T SLS to safeguard its airspace. The new system will provide a unique capability to protect the Norwegian forces during their maneuver operations.
Air defence systems are used to protect the population, important buildings, objects as well as ground troops against attacks from the air. Particularly ground-based air defence is capable of providing continuous area protection over the long term. For the Bundeswehr´s Tactical Air Defence System (TLVS), Diehl Defence developed the surface-launched IRIS-T SL, an upgraded version of the IRIS-T missile equipping fighter aircraft of numerous countries worldwide.
In combination with various radar and command systems, IRIS-T SL offers the capabilities and benefits of an advanced air defence system. An entire IRIS-T SLM system was tested successfully for the first time in 2014 in the presence of international representatives. Presently Diehl is equipping the Swedish Army with the IRIS-T SLS short-range air-defence system. The SHORAD solution employs the IRIS-T air-to-air missile, operative in Sweden, for vertical launch from the Hägglunds Bv410 carrier platform.
