PARIS — Switzerland plans to buy four or five IRIS-T SLM medium-range air-defense systems from Germany’s Diehl Defence, with negotiations in an advanced phase, the country’s defense procurement office, Armasuisse, said on Friday.
The federal office expects to sign the contract for the ground-to-air missile batteries in the third quarter of 2025, with procurement taking place as part of the European Sky Shield Initiative, Armasuisse said in a statement.
Swiss lawmakers last year approved a credit guarantee of 660 million Swiss francs ($809 million) for medium-range air defense in the 2024 armament program. Switzerland joins countries across Europe rushing to bolster their air defenses, as Russia’s daily missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities have raised awareness of the need to protect civilian and military targets against aerial threats.
“The future ground-based air defense will contribute to the impact of maintaining air sovereignty and air defense as well as protecting against attacks with long-range weapons,” Armasuisse said. The system will be part of Switzerland’s integrated air defense, the office said.
Armasuisse tested Hensoldt’s TRML-4D radar for the new medium-range air-defense system between March 31 and April 11, taking a further step in the procurement process, the office said.
The properties of the radar were tested together with Diehl and Hensoldt in the specific Swiss topography, with the radar used to detect aircraft including the PC-12, F/A-18 and helicopters, Armasuisse said.
Switzerland is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, with mountains covering 70% of the territory and around a quarter of the surface area made up of peaks over 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) above sea level.
The tests also investigated the frequency compatibility with civilian systems such as weather radar.
The country in October joined the European Sky Shield Initiative as the program’s 15th member, with an initial focus on medium-range air defense, while saying it expected opportunities for cooperation on shorter and longer-range defenses in the future.
Other IRIS-T SLM users include Germany and Ukraine, while Latvia ordered the system in November 2023 and Slovenia and Bulgaria placed orders last year. A system typically includes a fire-control unit, a radar unit and multiple missile launchers.
“The renewal will close an existing gap in capability in the defense of stand-off weapons, to combat approaching targets at a medium distance and thus expand long-range ground-based air defense with the Patriot system,” Armasuisse said. “Systems currently in use will soon reach the end of their useful life.”
Separately, Diehl said it signed a partnership agreement with Denmark’s MDSI to expand the payload integration of IRIS-T short-range missiles on fighter aircraft. The missile is included in the standard armament of the Eurofighter and Saab’s Gripen, and can also be used on the F-16, Tornado, EF-18, KF-21 and F-5E, according to Diehl.
“By partnering with MDSI, we’re enabling air forces to leverage the full potential of our missile system across platforms previously deemed as of limited compatibility,” said Martin Walzer, senior manager for integration programs at Diehl.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
