The IRIS-T ("

InfraRed Imaging Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of Light, visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from ...

System Tail/ Thrust Vector-Controlled") is a medium range

infrared homing Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is rad ...

missile available in both air-to-air and ground defence

surface-to-air A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

variants. The missile was developed in the late 1990s–early 2000s by a German-led program to develop a short to medium range infrared homing air-to-air missile to replace the

AIM-9 Sidewinder The AIM-9 Sidewinder (where "AIM" stands for "Air Intercept Missile") is a short-range air-to-air missile which entered service with the US Navy in 1956 and subsequently was adopted by the US Air Force in 1964. Since then the Sidewinder has prove ...

in use by some

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

member countries at the time. A goal of the program was for any aircraft capable of firing the Sidewinder to also be capable of launching the IRIS-T. The air-to-air variant was fielded in 2005.

Surface-to-air A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

defence systems variants came later, with the short-range IRIS-T SLS fielded in 2015, and the medium-range IRIS-T SLM fielded in 2022. One IRIS-T SLM battery, as supplied by Germany to Ukraine, consists of three truck-mounted launchers, carrying eight missiles each (with a range of ), and a separate command vehicle that can be positioned up to away. The command vehicle integrates multiple radar sources, and is able to launch and track all 24 missiles simultaneously. The IRIS-T SLM can counter surface-to-air missiles and cruise missiles, including low-flying, stealthy missiles such as the

Kalibr The 3M-54 Kalibr, (Калибр, caliber), also referred to it as 3M54-1 Kalibr, 3M14 Biryuza (Бирюза, turquoise), ( NATO reporting name SS-N-27 Sizzler and SS-N-30A) is a family of Russian cruise missiles developed by the Novator Design Bu ...

History

Background

In the 1980s,

countries signed a Memorandum of Agreement that the United States would develop a medium-range air-to-air missile to replace the

AIM-7 Sparrow The AIM-7 Sparrow (Air Intercept Missile) is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, as well as other various air forces ...

, while the UK and Germany would develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the

. The US design developed as the

AIM-120 AMRAAM The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced ), is an American beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. It is 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter, and employ ...

, while the UK-German design developed as the

AIM-132 ASRAAM The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), also known by its United States designation AIM-132, is an imaging infrared homing (heat seeking) air-to-air missile, produced by MBDA UK, that is designed for close-range combat. It is in s ...

. The roots of the ASRAAM dated back to 1968 when development began on the

Hawker Siddeley Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers and acquisitions as one of onl ...

SRAAM The Short Range Air-to-Air Missile, or SRAAM for short, initially known as Taildog, was an experimental British infrared homing ("heat seeking") air-to-air missile, developed between 1968 and 1980 by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics. It was designed to b ...

('Taildog'), but this project ended in 1974 with no production orders. This work was dusted off for the UK-German effort, with the Germans providing a new seeker, and the UK providing most of the remaining components. In the intervening time, the need for high maneuverability was downgraded in favor of greater range. After

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

in 1990, Germany found itself with large stockpiles of the Soviet

Vympel R-73 The R-73 (NATO reporting name AA-11 ''Archer'') is a short-range air-to-air missile developed by Vympel NPO that entered service in 1984. Development The R-73 was developed to replace the earlier R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid') weapon for short-range use b ...

missiles (NATO reporting name: ''AA-11 Archer'') carried by the

MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the Mi ...

Fulcrum and concluded that the AA-11's capabilities had been noticeably underestimated. In particular, it was found to be both far more maneuverable, and far more capable in terms of seeker acquisition and tracking than the latest

. In 1990, Germany withdrew from the ASRAAM project, while the UK resolved to find another seeker and develop ASRAAM according to the original requirements. In late 1990, the US partnership expressed similar concerns and embarked on an upgrade to the existing Sidewinder design to provide increased maneuverability and IRCCM (infrared ''counter'' counter measures) performance, i.e. measures to counter infrared countermeasures (IRCM). This program was designated AIM-9X.

Development

In 1995, Germany announced the start of IRIS-T development, in collaboration with Greece, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Canada. Canada later dropped out, while in 2003 Spain joined as a partner for procurement. The

German Air Force The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as ...

took first delivery of the missile on 5 December 2005. The respective share of the development of the IRIS-T are: *Germany 46% *Italy 19% *Sweden 18% *Greece 13% *4% split between Canada and Norway.

Missile characteristics

In comparison to the AIM-9M Sidewinder, the IRIS-T has higher

ECM ECM may refer to: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Elliptic curve method * European Congress of Mathemat ...

-resistance and flare suppression. Improvements in target discrimination allow for 5 to 8 times longer head-on firing range than the AIM-9M. It can also engage targets behind the launching aircraft, the latter made possible by the extreme close-in agility allowing turns of 60 ''g'' at a rate of 60°/s via thrust vectoring and LOAL capability. The IRIS-T is able to intercept fast-moving and miniature targets, such as air-to-air/surface-to-air missiles and air-to-surface/surface-to-surface missiles and rockets, UAV/drones, and cruise missiles; to improve the probability of a direct hit, the missile is equipped with an active radar proximity fuze. In addition, the IRIS-T has the unique ability, in comparison to other similar missiles such as the AIM-9X, to target and shoot down other air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles thus offering a 360° defence capability. Surface launched variants of the IRIS-T, the IRIS-T SLS and IRIS-T SLM, have enhanced capabilities to destroy aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-radar rockets and large-calibre rockets. They also have a high probability of a killing shot against UAVs and other small manoeuvring threats at very-short and medium-range distances. The

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...

(RNoAF) has tested a new air-to-surface capability developed by Diehl BGT Defence for the IRIS-T. A proof of concept test firing to acquire, track, and engage a target representing a small fast attack boat was conducted in Norway in September 2016, where the IRIS-T missile was launched from an RNoAF F-16AM multirole aircraft. For the air-to-surface role, the missile retains the same standard IRIS-T AAM hardware configuration, including the HE warhead and IIR guidance package, with only an updated software insertion required to deliver the additional ground attack capability. This basic air-to-ground capability provides the ability to acquire, track and engage individual ground targets like boats, ships, small buildings and vehicles.

Variants

IDAS

The IDAS variant is a navalized version of the missile, and is also being developed for the new Type 212A submarine of the

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...

. IDAS is supposed to engage air threats, small or medium surface vessels or near land targets. File:BGT IDAS.jpg, Model of

IDAS In Greek mythology, Idas (; grc, Ἴδας, Ídas), was a Messenian prince. He was one of the Argonauts, a participant in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar and contender with the gods. Idas was described as keen and spirited.Hyginus, ''Fabulae 1 ...

File:Barracuda torpedo and IDAS.jpg, IDAS and

Barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which ...

torpedo on TechDemo'08 Exhibition, 2008

Ground-to-air

As a part of the NATO MEADS program, the

and others are now using a surface-launched (SL) radar-guided version of the missile, called IRIS-T SL. It has a pointed nose, unlike the regular IRIS-T, with a jettisonable drag-reducing nose cone. The missile uses GPS-aided inertial navigation system with radar data link for command guidance during the initial approach, while the interference-resistant IR seeker head is activated at the terminal stage. Compared to the IRIS-T, diameter of the rocket motor was increased by 25 mm to 152 mm. Test launches from a battery cosisting of CEA CEAFAR radar, Diehl IRIS-T SL launcher and Oerlikon Skymaster battle management system were performed in 2014.https://www.armyrecognition.com/january_2014_global_defense_security_news_industry/diehl_defence_successfully_demonstrated_iris-t_slm_ground_based_air_defence_system_2801142.html The IRIS-T SL qualification tests were completed during January 2015 at the

Denel Overberg Test Range The Denel Overberg Test Range is a weapons systems testing facility in the Overberg region on the south coast of South Africa, near Arniston, Western Cape. It includes launch pads and tracking systems. It was used to test the RSA series of I ...

in South Africa. By 2022, two variants were available: IRIS-T SLS (short-range) with 12 km range and altitude and IRIS-T SLM (medium range) with 40 km range at 20 km maximum altitude. A third variant, IRIS-T SLX (long range) variant with a dual-mode (IR and RF) seeker, range of 80 km and maximum altitude of 30 km, is in development as of April 2022. Operational testing of IRIS-T SLM was completed in January 2022. File:IRIS-T_SL_SAM.jpg, IRIS-T SL missile File:Eldenhet 98 IRIS-T SLS.png, Bv 410 with Giraffe 1X radar and Diehl ML-98 IRIS-T SLS launcher File:MAN 7 t mil gl IRIS-T SL.jpg, MAN SX44 6x6 7-ton IRIS-T SL launcher File:ILA_2018, (1X7A6891).jpg, MAN SX45 8x8 10-ton IRIS-T SLM launcher File:MAN 10 t mil gl IRIS-T SL ILA2018-2.jpg, MAN SX45 8x8 10-ton IRIS-T SLM launcher rear File:IRIS-T-SLM-radar unit TRML-4D front ILA-2022.jpg, Hensoldt TRML-4D radar File:CEA Technologies GBMMR on MAN SX45 8x8 chassis ILA-2016.jpg, CEA CEAFAR (GBMMR) radar File:ILA 2018, Schönefeld (1X7A5463).jpg, Thales Ground Master 200 MM/C radar File:Hensoldt Twinvis, ILA 2018, Schonefeld (1X7A6906).jpg, Hensoldt TwInvis passive radar The

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav ...

fielded a ground launched version of the IRIS-T SLS, designated ''Luftvärnsrobotsystem 98'' (lvrbs 98), to replace the RBS 70 missile system. Four missiles are carried on Eldenhet 98 (elde 98) launcher, a special version of a Bv 410 tracked, armored vehicle, with

SAAB Giraffe The Saab (formerly Ericsson Microwave Systems AB) Giraffe Radar is a family of land and naval two- or three-dimensional G/H-band (4 to 8 GHz) passive electronically scanned array radar-based surveillance and air defense command and contr ...

1X electronically scanned radar integrated in the front car. The

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army ( no, Hæren) is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway ...

has decided to acquire a "Mobile Ground Based Air Defence System" in a direct acquisition with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The deliveries are planned for 2023 and based on Iris-T launchers from Diehl Defence GmbH and radars from Weibel Scientific A/S. The system will reuse

NASAMS NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, also known as the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Ae ...

command and control and its network solutions, to create a "highly mobile, short-range air defence system". Initial delivery will include six modified M113 vehicles carrying IRIS-T SLS missiles; additional launchers will be based on the ACSV. IRIS-T SLM can be integrated with a variety of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) guidance systems and AESA radars, such as

Hensoldt Hensoldt AG ''(HENSOLDT)'' is a multinational corporation headquartered in Germany which focuses on sensor technologies for protection and surveillance missions in the defence, security and aerospace sectors. The main product areas are radar, ...

TRML-4D, Thales Ground Master 200 MM/C, CEA CEAFAR, and

4A. A version with a

Lockheed-Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is ...

Skykeeper command and control station, Giraffe 4A radar and Diehl IRIS-T SLM launcher was shown at IDEX 2019 under the name Falcon Ground Based Air Defence. Egypt ordered Diehl IRIS-T SLM launchers, Hensoldt TRML-4D radars, and fire and control stations equipped with Airbus Defence Fortion IBMS integrated battle management software, all mounted on MAN 8×8 military trucks; the deal was approved by the German government in December 2021. Further orders includes Hensoldt

passive radar Passive radar systems (also referred to as passive coherent location, passive surveillance systems, and passive covert radar) encompass a class of radar systems that detect and track objects by processing reflections from non-cooperative sources of ...

s,https://www.hensoldt.net/stories/twinvis-passive-radar> IRIS-T SLS launchers and IRIS-T SLX long-range missiles. Passive radars can detect enemy aircraft by analysing reflections from external radio and television signals, making them effective in urban areas where active radars struggle .

Air-to-ground

For the air-to-surface role, the only difference from air-to-air version is an updated software insertion required to deliver the additional ground attack capability. Tested by

Operational usage

It is unclear whether the IRIS-T can shoot down a

Kh-101 The Kh-55 (russian: Х-55, also known as RKV-500; NATO reporting name: AS-15 "Kent") is a Soviet/Russian subsonic air-launched cruise missile, designed by MKB Raduga in the 1970s. It has a range of up to and can carry nuclear warheads. Kh- ...

cruise missile. On 19 October 2022, Ukrainian sources stated that a Russian missile was shot down with the help of an IRIS-T air defense system, in Chernihiv Oblast, thirty kilometers from Kyiv. Photos of the wreckage of a IRIS-T missile were shared on social media, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Iris-T "is a really effective system" and "has shown itself very well", there was no evidence that the German IRIS-T SLM shot down that particular missile, and some Ukrainian sources stated that it had been shot down with a different system. Following a Russian missile attack against Ukraine on 31 October 2022,

Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force ( uk, Пові́тряні си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Its headquarters are in the city of Vinnytsia. Wh ...

stated that IRIS-T missiles had a 100% success rate when countering the attack. On 15 November footage appeared, which appears to show the downing of two cruise missiles within seconds by an IRIS-T system. One appears to be a Kalibr cruise missile.

Operators

The following operators are listed and defined as of October 2022. ; : 25 ; : IRIS-T missiles for the new

Saab JAS 39 Gripen The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (; English: ''griffin'') is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stabilit ...

E/F variants. ; : 7 IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defense systems ordered in 2018. Further order of 400 SLM missiles, 6 IRIS-T SLS systems and 10 IRIS-T SLX systems was approved in December 2021. ; : 1,250 ; : 350 IRIS-T missiles ; : 444 IRIS-T missiles budget €217m, between 2003 and 2015. ;: 150 IRIS-T missiles ;: 1,400 IRIS-T missiles ;: 25 IRIS-T missiles delivered as interim armament for

aircraft until the completion of the A-Darter SRAAM project. ; : 770 IRIS-T missiles. Original budget €247m, final cost €291m. ;: 450 IRIS-T missiles, designated ''Jaktrobotsystem 98'' (jrbs 98). IRIS-T SLS variant used in ground-based air defense systems. ;: 220 IRIS-T missiles ordered. to be integrated with

Northrop F-5 The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models, the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants and t ...

F-5T

Saab Jas 39 Gripen The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (; English: ''griffin'') is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stabilit ...

Gripen C/D and

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successf ...

eMLU . ;: Germany has pledged to supply Ukraine with IRIS-T SL ground-based air-defense systems. In light of the

10 October 2022 missile strikes on Ukraine 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, German Defense Minister

Christine Lambrecht Christine Lambrecht (born 19 June 1965) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as the Federal Minister of Defence in the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz since December 2021. In the go ...

released a statement in which Germany would send the first of four vehicle-mounted IRIS-T SLM to Ukraine "in the coming days"; the original delivery date was the end of the year. The first system, of four promised, was delivered on October 11 according to a source with the German defence ministry. Systems originally designated for Egypt were diverted to Ukraine to speed the delivery.

Future operators

;: IRIS-T integration for Hungarian

MS20 Block II modernization program was ordered in December 2021. ;: IRIS-T integration for the

KF-X The KAI KF-21 ''Boramae'' (formerly known as KF-X) is a South Korean lead fighter aircraft development program with the goal of producing an advanced multirole fighter for the South Korean and Indonesian air forces. The airframe is stealthier ...

fighter program was ordered in 2018.