Bulgaria Moves Forward with Acquisition of German IRIS-T Air Defense Systems

The Defense Committee has endorsed the government's proposal for Bulgaria to acquire German IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile systems. The initial phase of the project, which involves purchasing these systems, is valued at over 356 million leva. Additionally, there is the potential to procure up to five units of a different modification of the system.

This project is part of the European Sky Shield Initiative. Defense Chief Admiral Emil Eftimov assured that these systems are on par with the currently used S-300s in terms of capabilities. "The SLX complex has a range that overlaps with the S-300. Considering the future development of the system, I think we will even build on the existing capabilities."

The committee's decision is set to be discussed in the plenary this week. Members of the commission also backed a memorandum with Turkey on cross-border operations within the framework of airspace protection and a memorandum with Romania for establishing a headquarters for a regional special operations command.

Too late?

Thirty-six years later, and amid a two-and-a-half-year-old war nearby, Bulgaria is making a significant move to renew its air defense systems. The last major update was in 1988 with the acquisition of the S-300 complex from the Soviet Union.

On August 1st, it was announced that Dimitar Glavchev's caretaker government would finalize the acquisition of the IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missile system from Germany, costing over 356 million leva. The Ministry of Defense confirmed that a contract had already been signed with the manufacturer, Diehl Defense.

This purchase not only includes the initial systems but also opens the door for acquiring other modern modifications.

But what is IRIS-T...