Slovenian Defense Minister Marjan Šarec has announced the country’s government is in talks to purchase the German-made IRIS-T medium-range air defense system in the near future.
“At the moment, we do not have a very efficient air defense system,” Šarec told public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. “Some in Slovenia say that we are collectively protected by NATO, but it takes some time for allied aircraft to reach Slovenia, and air defense with such a system is something different from aircraft.”
The ministry has not disclosed the acquisition’s estimated value. However, local paper Delo reported that Ljubljana aims to spend about €200 million ($223 million) to purchase the surface-launched, medium-range (SLM) variant of the system which is manufactured by Diehl Defence.