Germany is creating the Sky Shield – a ground-based integrated European air defence system – and increasing its support for Ukraine. The company has doubled its workforce to 4,400, built an additional missile production facility, and established an assembly shop on Mount Maasberg.
Diehl Defence produces more than just IRIS-T, and its memorandum with Ukraine extends beyond air defence. The company also manufactures SMArt 155 smart projectiles for hard-armoured targets and components for GMLRS. Production of these munitions will also be expanded.
Strategically, Germany is moving away from the post-Cold War philosophy that led to drastic defence cuts. After the USSR collapsed, Berlin no longer saw a need for tank divisions. Following the same logic, in 2012, Germany disbanded the Army Air Defence Forces and put the Gepard into storage.
The EU’s Sky Shield, funded by 19 countries from Poland to Portugal, is built on Germany’s heavy industry.
At the lowest level, it features Rheinmetall’s Skyranger – a highly effective anti-UAV vehicle equipped with a 35 mm cannon and Stinger missiles.
IRIS-T occupies the middle ground. The manufacturer has already ordered three dozen radars and eight firing batteries, which have demonstrated excellent performance in Ukraine, boasting an interception rate of over 90%.
The IRIS-T missile itself is undergoing a Block II upgrade, featuring a new homing head, an improved communication channel for in-flight redirection, and enhanced interference resistance. I am certain that these upgrades incorporate lessons learned from Ukraine’s battlefield experience.
At the top tier is the Arrow-3 (Hetz 3), an Israeli extra-atmospheric system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles in near-space. It is currently being localised for production in Germany.
For now, the Sky Shield will also rely on the Patriot system, which is being upgraded. These systems have proven highly effective in intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, including not only Iskanders but also the latest Kinzhals.
However, Berlin does not want to depend solely on the United States, its only supplier, so it is developing its own systems and working to localise Israeli technology.
Ukraine has been promised at least 12 medium-range and 12 short-range batteries. This threefold increase means that, regardless of US decisions, Germany will play a key role in strengthening Ukraine’s air defence. No surprise, then, that Germany has ordered 1,280 missiles to replace those being sent to Ukraine.
Additionally, Norway is ordering four NASAMS batteries, supplementing the one purchased by Canada and the 12 already funded by the United States.
It would be beneficial to acquire some units of the third NASAMS iteration, as they are compatible with the IRIS-T. Standardisation across such a vast theatre of operations is crucial. Norway, for instance, is actively developing short-range batteries by integrating Humvee, IRIS-T, and NASAMS 3 components.
As evident, the EU bears the bulk of the responsibility for supplying and modernising Ukraine’s air defence. European manufacturers provide radars, missiles, communications equipment, and command posts, with Germany and Norway playing key roles.
However, ballistic missile defence remains insufficient. Even if Germany did not transfer a quarter of its firing units to Ukraine, it could still only protect its capital and key industrial centres – factories, dams, and power plants. Each battery covers a radius of just 25-30 km.
The Germans also take lessons from Ukraine’s experience: a stockpile of more than 5,500 S-300 missiles lasted for 14 months of full-scale war.
The fact that Germany can produce three dozen batteries for the Sky Shield while simultaneously strengthening Ukraine’s air defence is a significant advantage. Fighting under a barrage of cruise missiles and hundreds of drones versus being able to intercept them are two entirely different wars.